<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Homuncular Nature by Otaku553</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28506585">Homuncular Nature</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otaku553/pseuds/Otaku553'>Otaku553</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood &amp; Manga, 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Albedo in FMA, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Gen, Homunculus Albedo (Genshin Impact), I don’t really know what I’m doing, Minor Character Death, No beta we die like Zhongli, Warning for the Nina scene, because scar, like... background character death, or like Rex Lapis I suppose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:36:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>32,799</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28506585</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otaku553/pseuds/Otaku553</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When the opportunity to research a new world drops itself into Albedo’s lap, he does as any alchemist worth his salt does and gladly takes it.</p>
<p>Getting involved in a countrywide government conspiracy is not part of the plan.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Albedo &amp; Alphonse Elric, Albedo &amp; Edward Elric, Albedo &amp; Nina Tucker, Albedo &amp; Roy Mustang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>137</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>786</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>If I had a nickel for every time I really liked a genius blond alchemist character, I’d have two nickels— which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.<br/>I rewatched FMA Brotherhood recently and couldn’t get this idea out of my head so... I hope you enjoy my amateurish writing!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Day 1 of Amestris. </em>
</p><p><em> With no memory of how I arrived, I awoke in the middle of the town of Urbukya, in the East area of the country of Amestris. Last I remembered, I had joined the Traveler’s party and travelled alongside them to Inazuma, though past Inazuma, I can’t seem to grasp clear details. </em> <em><strike> I hope I didn’t lose control. Please let Mondstadt and Teyvat be safe.</strike> </em> <em> I was found lying on the main street of the town, according to Ms. Amelia, the woman who is kindly allowing me temporary residence at her abode. </em></p><p>
  <em> Where I am currently in this world greatly resembles the region of Mondstadt in architecture, landscape, and climate. However, it is considerably smaller, mostly consisting of wooden houses and a rough population of a few hundred. Judging by its location on the map that Ms. Amelia has shown me, I am not far from one of the main cities of the country of Amestris. Amestris itself appears to be several times larger than the whole of Mondstadt (the region of Barbatos) and only a small part of one of seven continents on this planet. The size of the planet itself must be larger than that of Teyvat, yet the gravitational effect appears mostly unchanged. Could this be due to Celestia’s presence above Teyvat changing the gravitational field of the planet? Or perhaps Teyvat is larger than we know and adventurers have yet to unearth the whole of the planet. It could also be due to the material at the core; Teyvat’s core is, after all, believed to be the malleable pure magic that powers the ley lines. </em>
</p><p><em> I am unable to use my Vision. To be expected, as the Vision is a wielder’s connection to the floating island of Celestia, gifted by the Archons. Celestia’s source of elemental power is the ley line network beneath the surface of Amestris, most clearly exhibited in domains, where ley lines that are closest to the surface take the form of trees. There does not appear to be any ley line network in this world, at least not under Amestris. Instead, there are two constant source of energy: the movement of tectonic plates and something else that I can’t quite place yet. </em> <strike><em> It feels like not unlike the Heart of Naberius that beats within my chest. </em></strike></p><p>
  <em> Theoretically, as I, created from the ley lines and chalk of the Earth, am the source of my own alchemic energy, I should still be able to perform alchemy as I have before, even without the presence of the ley lines to draw elemental energy from. I have tested my hypothesis in three categories, with five trials each: inanimate objects such as stone and glass, living objects such as plants, and animate objects such as animals. As hypothesized, the alchemic transformations worked using the ley line flow within my own body. However, the strength of the reactions have weakened, as my main source of alchemic energy is no longer present. The ley line energy within me also has a limit. It would be best to refrain from using alchemy and learn how to draw from the energy of this world if I am to conserve my energy for now. </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>Day 2 of Amestris. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Alchemists exist in this world as well. Most notable are those employed by the military, who hold the title of State Alchemist. They are funded for research under the condition that their powers are those of the military and they will obey three tenets: do not disobey the military; do not create gold; do not create human life. </em>
</p><p><em> I am a contradiction of this final tenet, even though I myself do not partake in the creation of human life. As a product what is forbidden by the final tenet, it would likely be in my best interest to hide my identity for now<strike>, </strike></em> <em><strike> even though Rhinedottir isn’t here and never will be and my master is the one who actually broke the law here. In any case, I did it well enough in Mondstadt, it shouldn’t be too difficult here.</strike> </em></p><p>
  <em> Crafting tables for Alchemy on Teyvat were a relic of the past, from far before the Archon war, much like the Teleport Waypoints that the Traveler was able to unlock. The circles and symbols on those tables were what allowed one to draw power from the ley lines. Circles. It appears that alchemy remains the same no matter where you go— it is life, and the transformation of matter. How to connect it to the tectonic plate movement, though? The energy release here must be less stagnant than that of the ley lines. Perhaps another external circular energy direction matrix.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I will conduct trials of different matrices tomorrow. </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>Day 3 of Amestris. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> As expected, the trials proceeded smoothly. An external circle redirected the energy too far, and an internal circle pulled too much energy. The circle interspersed on the main circle worked, converting the energy to a stagnant form that resembled that of the ley lines. However, the energy does not have the concentration of elements that the ley line flow naturally does, and extra matrices must be used to convert it as such. With this in mind, a trial run of tableless— perhaps it is circleless, since crafting tables do not exist in this world—  was successful. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> As usual, my favorite thing to do, bringing my artistic creations to sketchbook, is still possible. I made a crystalfly today to act as a lantern while I studied the few history books that Ms. Amelia offered me. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m… glad. </em>
</p><p>Albedo snapped his journal shut, and with some gentle waves, pulled the small crystalfly flitting around his head back to the sketchbook it was born from.</p><p>It was still the middle of the night, but the air outside felt clear and fresh. Silent, in a way that the city of Mondstadt never was, silent like the plains and mountains and fields that the Traveler showed him. Silent, like Dragonspine Mountain.</p><p>From his window, he easily hopped onto the roof of the humble two-story house that Ms. Amelia owned. the stars were unfamiliar. Albedo took out his sketchbook. The mountains ahead were rather aesthetically arranged, pleasantly interposed such that each peak was visible. Rolling hills with scattered trees, a small town overlooked by nature…</p><p>His hand flew as his pencil recreated the serene beauty in front of him. This world may not be Teyvat, but it was still quite beautiful.</p><p>He stilled.</p><p>What was that?</p><p>That rumbling beneath his feet. Like a small earthquake, like a Lawachurl running towards him.</p><p>He turned his head to the source, a tiny black dot in the distance that grew steadily larger, kicking up a cloud of dust as it neared.</p><p>It was unnatural, Albedo thought as he jumped off the roof with a practiced roll and summoned his sword to his hand in a shower of golden sparks. The eyes of the vaguely humanoid creature seemed empty and glazed over, and yet a great grin stretched across its face, a large slobbering tongue hanging from it.</p><p>“A person…?” the creature grinned. “Can I eat it? Can I?”</p><p>With large clumsy movements, the creature charged forth, arm like thick sausages dangling behind it. Albedo swiftly dodged, slashing at the creature’s arm with the sword and drawing blood. Not like the hilichurls that bled black ashy dust, then. </p><p>He flicked the red blood off his blade and watched as the stumbling big creature swayed on its feet like a disoriented boar that bumped into a cliff. Red alchemical lightning arced through the air, leaving a smoky smell in the atmosphere. The slash on the creature’s arm stitched itself back together, the grotesquely severed muscle fibers wriggling like thin worms to converge and fuse, skin stretching back into place, leaving a seamless intact arm.</p><p>The speed of its alchemical regeneration was far beyond the bounds of alchemy Albedo was aware of. For normal beings, at least.</p><p>“That hurt…” the creature sucked its thumb and cried.</p><p>Albedo allowed himself to tsk at its bothersome ability and considered attacking again. The regenerative properties of this creature couldn’t be endless, and its movements were large and sloppy enough that he could easily dodge with a dash or jump. If the source for his healing was alchemy, then Albedo was certain that the creature must have some sort of alchemical catalyst within it, programmed to regenerate the body as quickly as it could. Perhaps with that, he could figure out more about the alchemy of this world.</p><p>“I’m supposed to go to Lust…” the creature mumbled, “but I’m still hungry. Just one snack… Can I eat you?”</p><p>The creature charged forth again. Albedo let his training take over his body, allowing his feet to move in a practiced dance of bladework and dodging. Red lightning flashed with every wound Albedo inflicted, illuminating the village.</p><p>Lights started turning on as people came out to check what the commotion was.</p><p>Albedo could do without the horrified screams while he was fighting, thank you. The creature couldn’t do much but stumble around helplessly as Albedo’s quick swordwork left wounds all over its body. The regeneration was taking its time catching up, and Albedo watched as the creature slowly became more sluggish.</p><p>He thrust a gloved hand onto the ground. <em>Solar Isotoma</em>. Even without his connection to the Geo Archon, he could alchemically create the golden flowers that aided him in battle. The stone bloom sprouted beneath the creature’s feet, the rubble it produced stabbing its feet. As it stumbled back, Albedo mounted it, relishing the sensation of elevation as the bloom sprouted and rose.</p><p>Jumping into a diving attack, he thrust his sword deep into the creature’s stomach, ignoring how the crimson blood that spouted forth stained his white coat.</p><p>But still the creature regenerated. With a flash of red lightning, the creature slowly climbed back onto its feet.</p><p>But the creature had stopped grinning, and now just looked off into the distance. “Lust… I just need to go to Lust,” it mumbled, lumbering off quickly towards the East.</p><p>Albedo once again flicked his sword clean of the creature’s blood, only to find that the crimson liquid seemed to disintegrate into black dust, leaving the metal spotless. The blood on his coat also seemed to disappear somehow.</p><p>Interesting.</p><p>He let his sword fade again, and adjusted his clean coat.</p><p>Very interesting indeed.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>Day 4 of Amestris. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Ms. Amelia and the townspeople were grateful for my help in fending off the creature, but not keen on letting me stay after I stabbed it as I did. Understandably, they don’t desire the presence of a safety hazard. Me. Amelia did apologize, however, and sent me to East City with a substantial pouch of this world’s currency. It is rather odd, seeing coins without the symbol of Morax embossed on them. I suppose this must be what the Traveler felt seeing Mora for the first time.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Again, this world’s advancement in technology fascinates me— though perhaps it is simply the novelty. The train, made of a metal body, would require more ore than the smiths gather in a month, and must require some more efficient method of acquisition. How far into the future past the world I know must this planet be, to be able to mass produce these, which would seem miraculous in Teyvat? The year here appears to be 1914, however, I am unfamiliar with how time is measured on this world. Time in Teyvat was measured in years after the Archon War, after all. </em>
</p><p>Albedo shut his journal. Heavy clanking steps approached, and Albedo was staying vigilant for abnormalities since meeting and engaging in battle with the creature from yesterday.</p><p>A young voice that seemed to echo from behind metal called out. “Brother! The last free seat is here. We‘ll have to squish a little though.” Albedo didn’t know if he was more surprised at the glowing red eyes behind that helm or the sheer size of the suit of armor before him. He didn’t think that it could practically be used for anything, much less by someone who sounded so young. But this was a new world, and he couldn’t be skeptical of anything considering his own presence here was far out of the norm.</p><p>“Nice job, Al!” shouted another young voice. Albedo looked down from the armor to see a blond teenager in a red coat.</p><p>They both took their seats across from him, just as the train began to move. Albedo looked at the passing station with growing interest. The bumpy movement wasn’t quite like gliding, which was always smooth and unpredictable like the winds, but he couldn’t quite find anything else to describe it as. The constant sensation of going forward, even as the seat and the car and the people around him stayed still relative to him.</p><p>He quickly sketched the train car and the blurred scenery outside. When he looked back up, the armored boy was looking at him.</p><p>He couldn’t tell too clearly, but from the way those red glowing eyes twinkled… was he interested in Albedo’s art?</p><p>“You draw really well, don’t you?”</p><p>Oh. He was talking to Albedo.</p><p>Socializing was a bit of a pain, but as usual, Albedo would deign not to show it. Drawing was a topic of interest for him anyways. “Yes,” he responded with one of his usual smiles; of course he drew well, it was a skill he had cultivated. “I find it rather enjoyable, not to mention useful for scientific study to be able to accurately recreate an image.”</p><p>“Oh? You’re a scientist then? What do you study?”</p><p>“Well…” telling them couldn’t be detrimental, could it? Alchemy didn’t seem particularly common here. “Alchemy, I suppose.”</p><p>“Another alchemist! Brother, it’s a small world, isn’t it?”</p><p>“Yep, sure is, Al,” the blond brother sighed. It was the sort of disappointed sigh a child would give upon receiving a lackluster Christmas present.</p><p>He was being underestimated, wasn’t he? He was definitely being underestimated. This rarely happened In Mondstadt; Albedo was renowned enough there that nobody dared to question his knowledge. Of course, he wasn’t in Mondstadt now, but the thought still made something within him tick. How irksome.</p><p>He returned to his nearly finished sketch, polishing some of the details before flipping to a new page. A crystalfly, perhaps; drawing from memory was after all just as valuable a skill as drawing from observation.</p><p>Meanwhile, the armored boy— Al, was it? Chided his brother for his dismissing tone. Albedo heard the hushed whisper of “Brother! Just because you’re a genius doesn’t mean you can just dismiss other people’s alchemy.”</p><p>“Yes, yes, okay Al,” the brother grumbled. </p><p>“At least make an attempt to talk to him,” Al pouted. He didn’t actually pout but one could hear it all too clearly in his voice.</p><p>The brother sighed. “So? What field of alchemy do you specialize in?”</p><p>Albedo considered just outright dismissing the question, but figured a little showing off was warranted. “Mostly… still life and creation,” Albedo lifted the finished crystalfly sketch out of the page with a single glowing hand.</p><p>It sprung to life, flapping its wings, the glowing dust trail sparkling as it flew around the three boys.</p><p>Albedo watched the dismissal in the brother’s eyes morph immediately into wonder, fascination, and then to a calculating gaze, full of questions and hypotheses. Those were the eyes of a scientist, eyes that Albedo recognized all too well.</p><p>“How,” the brother breathed out. “Equivalent exchange should dictate that this isn’t possible. Not to mention, no circle. No clap.” The golden eyes burned with curiosity as they turned to Albedo’s own teal orbs. “Do you… have a Philosopher’s Stone?”</p><p>Albedo narrowed his eyes. Sharp, this one. “It is entirely possible while following the laws of equivalent exchange. As you should know, everything living has a soul within it, with its power varying depending on its sentience. The crystalfly will fade in a few minutes after expending the residual soul of the wood used to create this paper. Earth is the substance of time and memory, that from which all life is born. And this,” he let the crystalfly land on his finger, “is rebirth.”</p><p>The crystalfly returned to paper and crumbled into dusty shreds over his palm. The brother gaped.</p><p>“That’s…” the brother dressed in red gulped. “But how? Souls aren’t so easily manipulated; a toll is required. Life itself, while malleable, is fickle, isn’t it?”</p><p>“Earth grounds life,” Albedo explained. “It is its source and its origin and thus, so long as you have the right array, the matrix is able to attach life to dirt, chalk, possibly even stone. That said, you are correct. Souls and life alchemy are fickle. They often do not last long unless attached to their natural living body.”</p><p>“I don’t… think I get it,” the suit of armor hummed. “You said that the soul would come from the previous life of the paper, correct? But the paper form of the tree is already long dead. To make life from it, you’d have to revive the soul, and to revive life that has already departed goes again the natural laws of the universe. The circle of life only goes one direction.”</p><p>“It isn’t so much reviving as it is… rejuvenating,” Albedo mused, one hand on his chin. “For example…” he pulled a twig out of his pocket, “this twig has been disconnected from a tree, its main source of life, and should thus already have a departed soul, yes?”</p><p>The brothers nodded, watching intently.</p><p>“But the life is still present. In plants specifically, should you choose to preserve the life, flowers can still bloom given the proper procedures. If you simply pull the right components together that would allow it to do so…”</p><p>He flicked his wrist, letting the unfamiliar alchemical energy of the tectonic plates swirl like the erratic cicins of Teyvat within him, taking the shape of a circle. The branches he envisioned on the twig manifested themselves with a byproduct shower of golden sparks.</p><p>“You can do this,” he concluded.</p><p>The brothers were speechless, but the one in red gathered himself first. “That still doesn’t explain how you’re able to do alchemy without a circle,” he grumbled, one gloved hand ruffling his hair in frustration.</p><p>“Ah,” Albedo noted that it apparently wasn’t common in this world. It wasn’t in Teyvat either, but only Sucrose and Timaeus had ever questioned him about it, and never very far, since they respected his privacy and silence on the matter. “Well, I’ve always been able to do this. Not sure why,” he lied.</p><p>He had an idea of why. He represented Ouroboros and the cycle of rebirth, and thus was able to channel the energy of an alchemist reaction within himself rather than using a literal circle. He wasn’t going to tell that to them though.</p><p>The brothers fell silent. Albedo honestly couldn’t quite tell what the armored one was thinking, but the one in red had countless questions whirring around his mind, no doubt. Albedo let him think what he wanted. He had a sharp mind, for sure, but perhaps the idea of an alien from another world might be to outlandish for him to conclude based on the evidence Albedo had given him.</p><p>That said, Albedo wasn’t going to give anymore hints. He wasn’t like the Traveler, so open and naive and trusting of anyone. And the boy wasn’t like Albedo, who could assume that the Traveler came from another world both through rumors and through pre-existing proof of alien life.</p><p>As Albedo settled on another thing to sketch— it was rather good practice doing so on a moving vehicle, which would jostle his arm every so often— Al spoke again.</p><p>“So, what are you going to East City for? If you don’t mind me asking.”</p><p>“The State Alchemist Exam.”</p>
<hr/><p>Ed wasn’t sure what to think of the teenager that sat across from him. He hated the way that smile seemed too practiced and insincere— those kinds of people always bothered him.</p><p>But his genius was undeniable. Many alchemists never considered wood as living, using it as simply another material to reshape. But to rejuvenate and recreate life? That was a spectacle. A miracle. </p><p>Ed couldn't believe he had never heard of this person before. Surely, the way he spoke, he had to have been an alchemist of some renown, right? But he didn’t have a silver pocketwatch, and he dressed rather oddly. <em> Thigh-high boots? </em></p><p>Ed got his answer pretty quickly. Albedo wasn’t a State Alchemist yet, and people who weren’t tended to fall by the wayside in terms of fame. One only had to look at his teacher, the passing housewife, to figure that out. In any case, Ed was curious about him.</p><p>“Then we might end up coworkers,” Ed took out his pocketwatch. “Nice to meet you. I’m Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist.”</p><p>“And I’m his little brother, Alphonse!”</p><p>The teen nodded at each of them in turn. “Albedo,” he introduced succinctly. </p><p>Ed noted the way Albedo didn’t give a last name. He wasn’t one to pry though.</p><p>Still, something about Albedo gave him chills. It could be his terrifying prowess in alchemy, or it could be the way his teal eyes and pale face were completely unreadable, an impregnable veneer of perfection and professionalism.</p><p>He realized too late, after they had already gone their separate way from Albedo, that he never did answer his question or whether or not he held a Philosopher’s Stone.</p>
<hr/><p>“Last name?” The lady at the registration table asked again.</p><p>Albedo bit back the annoyance that was starting to build inside him. “I don’t-“</p><p>“Look,” the lady interrupted, fed up. “I don’t care that you don’t have a last name, make one up if you need to. But this registration form needs two names and I’m not filing it unless you give me the other.”</p><p>Albedo wasn’t sure if he was more indignant at being chastised like a child or startled by his late realization that a second name could be any name he wanted, even his title.</p><p>“Kreideprinz,” Albedo answered.</p><p>“Please take a seat in the room,” the lady sighed. “The exam will begin shortly.”</p><p>With a nod, Albedo left the table.</p><p>Albedo Kreideprinz. </p><p>He looked down. Perhaps the title his master had gifted him <em> was </em>useful for something after all.</p><p>As soon as he walked into the room, Albedo could tell he seemed out of place among the adults. His outer appearance must have looked like that of a young man in his late teens, and if what Edward said about the exam was true, then most people studied their whole lives for this.</p><p>A written portion and then a practical one, to demonstrate their knowledge. Sure, Albedo could do that.</p><p>The written exam distributed, the person at the front shouted, “Begin!”</p><p>Albedo could have smirked at these questions. With ease, he responded, drawing flawless circles now and then. <em> This </em>was the exam that so many dreamed of passing? Child’s play. Sucrose had finished the textbooks for these in mere months. He had to admit though, as he turned in his exam the earliest, perhaps this would have given Timaeus some trouble.</p><p>He was soon led from the room by a soldier dressed in sharp-cut blue into another spacious room, with observers lined up against the walls and the viewing space above.</p><p>It appeared that the practical exam would have more observers, then. Albedo took the chalk that had been provided at the entrance out of his pocket.</p><p>“You will have ten minutes to demonstrate your practical knowledge of alchemy to the judges,” the examiner declared. “Begin.”</p><p>Albedo could feel the demeaning and underestimating eyes on him, once again stirring something irksome within him. With practiced ease, he crouched to the ground and began sketching Beth, the crystalfly form of the Anemo hypostasis. This would require more material and more matrices, but upon activation of the external circle and redirection to the interposed circles, Albedo would be able to absorb and morph the alchemical energy within himself through the matrices he knew by heart, and return it to his creation. He couldn’t quite do this the way Sucrose could, by summoning Beth from the blessing of Barbatos and the always-blowing wind of Mondstadt, the Anemo Archon’s land, but…</p><p>“Arise,” he commanded, and with a hand slammed to the ground, the stone reshaped itself, thinning into translucent white wings; the crystal solidified, sparkling in the sunlight; wind blew wildly through the chamber as the large crystalfly awoke with a strong flap of its wings and demanded the attention of its observers.</p><p>The usual teal-green hue of Anemo that accompanied its warm glow was absent, the sparks that usually told of elemental power replaced with dusty white chalk bits that floated in the air, jostled with each flap of the great chalk crystalfly’s wings.</p><p>In the natural light from the window, though, each piece of floating dust almost seemed to gleam in its own lackluster way, as it waltzed slowly through air currents to the ground.</p><p>Albedo had interacted with the people of Mondstadt long enough to know that the expression coloring the judges’ faces, their dropped jaws, and their widened eyes conveyed shock. Some tinted with what Albedo believed was fascination, some with reverence, and some with fear. He’d made quite an impression on them, it seemed.</p><p>In other words, nothing out of the ordinary, after he had once presented these skills to the Sumeru Academia that used to relentlessly visit him.</p><p>“I’ve completed my demonstration,” Albedo said calmly to the examiner, his expression unchanged. “When may I expect my results?”</p><p>The examiner collected himself, face smoothed to once again look as prim and proper as his blue uniform, and cleared his throat. “Well, you’ve most likely passed, but the confirmation will come tomorrow at the latest. Please return to the examination site tomorrow at 1500.” </p><p>Albedo nodded to confirm that he understood, and turned to leave the room. If this went well, his financial stability in this world was ensured.</p><p>Now if he could just find a place to stay for the night…</p>
<hr/><p>Ed grumbled under his breath as he walked out of East City’s military headquarters. A favor, his foot! If the colonel had wanted Liore dealt with, he might as well have gone himself. </p><p>That colonel bastard was infuriating. Even if Ed had to admit that the lead in Liore was promising and the closest they’d gotten to a philosopher’s stone yet, and even if Mustang was introducing him to a bioalchemy specialist tomorrow. Ed knew that his stupid smirk and unreadable eyes hid ambitions and elaborate plans to achieve them. He was just a scheming bastard like that.</p><p>Having to rely on the colonel’s help, even if he’d been doing so for years (not that he’d ever admit it) always left a sour taste in his mouth. Ed grumbled again as he walked towards the barracks he and Al were staying in,</p><p>And paused, seeing Albedo right outside the entrance to the headquarters.</p><p>Was he lost? Ed cocked his head, squinting in confusion at the blond alchemist. Those unreadable teal eyes seemed lost in thought, though for what, Ed couldn’t fathom.</p><p>Ed decided against ignoring Albedo. They were acquaintances by now, at least, right? The least he could do was extend a greeting.</p><p>“Yo,” Ed called out. </p><p>Albedo’s eyes widened in a rare show of emotion, <em>surprise,</em> and quickly smoothed over. “Ah, Edward.”</p><p>Ed cringed. “Just Ed is fine. Anyways, how’d the exam go?”</p><p>“Well,” Albedo nodded. “The examiner said I was likely to pass and instructed me to return tomorrow.”</p><p>Ed whistled a noise of appreciation, impressed. “Well done. Not many pass it first try, though it isn’t a surprise considering what you showed us on the train.” </p><p>“...”</p><p>Albedo didn’t reply, and Ed didn’t know what to say.</p><p>A single bead of sweat rolled down Ed’s cheek as they stewed in the awkward silence— was it as awkward for Albedo as it was for Ed?</p><p>Finally Ed held out his gloved left hand. “Well, it’s not confirmed yet, probably, but congratulations. I guess we’ll be coworkers then,” Ed settled for politeness, hopefully dispelling the silence between them.</p><p>Albedo’s lips curved ever so slightly to give Ed a smile, one of those obviously fake practiced ones meant for social niceties, and shook Ed’s offered hand.</p><p>“I suppose so,” Albedo calmly agreed. “I look forward to working with you.”</p><p>The handshake lasted far longer than Ed knew was socially normal, but neither he nor Albedo broke it, so it just ended up continuing until Ed finally put his hand down.</p><p>“So? What are you doing out here? How long have you been standing here?” Ed asked. It was truly unusual for him to be the one starting— or at least, trying to start conversation with a near-stranger, but Albedo had piqued Ed’s curiosity on the train and he couldn’t quite seem to quash it.</p><p>“I’m searching for a place to reside for the night, until I can return tomorrow and use the barracks,” Albedo held up his near-empty coin pouch, eyes once again pensive the way they were before Ed had come up to him. “Most hotels and lodgings in this area are more… expensive than I anticipated, however.”</p><p>Was that… was that a frown? On Albedo’s face? Ed snorted an unceremonious chuckle. That might’ve been the first time he’d seen anything other than indifference or a polite smile on Albedo. “That’s what you were so lost in thought about? I thought for sure you were considering a theory or hypothesis, not where to stay for the night,” Ed laughed.</p><p>The frown became more pronounced as Albedo spoke. “Normally, I would be, but—“</p><p>“Come stay with me and Al,” Ed interrupted. “We’re allowed to put up a guest or two at the barracks.” Why Ed was offering, he wasn’t certain; he owed nothing to Albedo and knew Albedo was, at best, suspicious for how quickly he could create and dismiss life through alchemy, but he couldn’t seem to think of Albedo poorly.</p><p>Those teal eyes looked at Ed in some emotion that he couldn’t quite place as he led Albedo to where he and Al were staying.</p>
<hr/><p>Huh. </p><p>Turns out there <em>were</em> more people like the Traveler, people who naively trusted so quickly, people who would offer kindness so easily.</p><p>People who would trust <em>Albedo</em>.</p><p>Albedo couldn’t tell if the current feeling of warmth in his chest that sometimes came from eating Sucrose’s candies or getting a hug from Klee was a good thing or not.</p>
<hr/><p>Ed poked his head into the next door. “Hey, Albedo, have you gotten settled?”</p><p>Albedo looked almost sheepish despite the lack of expression on his face, as he stood in the center of the room. “I didn’t have anything to settle to begin with…”</p><p>And finally Ed realized how Albedo didn’t even carry so much as a trunk, much less any changes of clothes or amenities. Ed frowned. “Do you want to go shop for some?”</p><p>Albedo shook his head. “It’s fine,” he declared in a tone of finality. “Did you have any business with me?”</p><p>“Oh right!” Ed grinned. “It’s about dinnertime, and I wasn’t sure you knew the direction to the cafeteria. Wanna come with?”</p><p>Albedo frowned slightly again. “Do they give large portions?”</p><p>“So-so. How come?”</p><p>“I have a small appetite and often find that large portions lose flavor and are no longer enjoyable when I’ve already eaten a satisfactory amount.”</p><p>What a roundabout way of just saying he doesn’t like eating large portions. Ed shrugged. He’d met weird people in his life and Albedo was no exception. “You can ask for a smaller portion. Or I could just finish what you can’t finish; I’m always pretty hungry.”</p><p>A dinner spent discussing the principles and energy sources of alchemy was a dinner well-spent indeed.</p><p>Albedo didn’t question Al’s absence, though Ed was sure he must have noticed it. And for that, Ed was somewhat grateful.</p>
<hr/><p>“Welcome,” said the man, with his hands folded behind his back and smirk on his face. “I am Colonel Roy Mustang.”</p><p>Albedo nodded. “Nice to meet you, sir,” he greeted, making sure not to externalize his disdain for these pleasantries and niceties that always got in the way of actual business. He’d done that when he’d joined the Knights of Favonius, and though Varka, the jolly man he was, simply laughed it off, Lisa later alerted Albedo to his unusual impoliteness in such a formal setting.</p><p>Somehow, the colonel seemed almost surprised by Albedo’s greeting, and Albedo wondered if he’d somehow committed another social faux-pas despite all the Knights of Favonius’ tips.</p><p>“Looks like we fortunately won’t have another Edward Elric,” the man chuckled.</p><p>“I am Albedo, not Edward Elric, sir.” Albedo deadpanned.</p><p>Mustang waved a hand in the air dismissively. “I figured most teens were insubordinate and hotheaded like him.”</p><p>Before Albedo could respond, Mustang pulled out an envelope and wooden box from beneath his desk. “In any case, Kreideprinz, congratulations on passing the State Alchemist Certification Exam. Here’s the silver pocketwatch, proof of your certification. Your certificate of appointment and detailed regulations are here.”</p><p>Mustang stood in anticipatory silence as Albedo pocketed the silver watch and opened the envelope.</p><p>
  <em> This official document certifies that the nation of Amestris, Prefecture of the Generalissimo, appoints the name Chalkdust to Albedo Kreideprinz, in the name of Fuhrer King Bradley. </em>
</p><p>“Chalkdust?” Albedo wondered aloud. </p><p>“Your State Alchemist title,” Roy explained. “You may choose to introduce yourself as the Chalkdust Alchemist.”</p><p>Albedo nodded in understanding. So that was why Ed introduced himself as the Fullmetal Alchemist yesterday. Albedo now had two titles, it seemed, though one was in use as a surname. How interesting, that his title of Chalk Prince would follow him even to another world, even if Chalkdust wasn’t quite the same.</p><p>Albedo nodded. It was a good title. Dust was small, forgettable, easily blown away, the mere remnants of what once was. Albedo similarly didn’t intend to stand out in this world.</p><p>“As a State Alchemist, you’ll find yourself with fewer duties than the average major, as the state has dedicated time and resources to allow you to research. You will have to report substantial progress in research at least once a year to avoid being discharged, but otherwise, your time will be split between your research and missions.” Mustang paused, as if just realizing something important. “How well do you fight?”</p><p>“Decently, with a sword… and some stone alchemy.”</p><p>“You’ll have to demonstrate at some point, but I’ll assume that I can send you to places that might be dangerous?”</p><p>Albedo nodded. Even as shut-in as he was sometimes, he was still a Knight of Favonius, and knew more than enough how to handle himself against even the hardiest Lawachurls.</p><p>Mustang nodded. “Good. How soon would you like to begin working?”</p><p>Albedo grabbed the opportunity quickly. “Now. Time is always limited; I’d like to begin my research as soon as possible.”</p><p>Mustang smiled. “Good.” Albedo didn’t waste time. “Where will you begin? We have the space and funding to set up a lab for you anywhere you want.”</p><p>“Information is necessary first.” Albedo intended to find out as much about this world as he could before he dove into making his own discoveries. First… “Bioalchemy,” Albedo declared.</p><p>He needed to know what life forms existed on this world, to differentiate from Teyvat, which held both elemental monsters and hilichurls. He wouldn’t have as much of an opportunity to study them in the wild as he had before, if he was going to be taking missions on the side, and biology, the study of life, was essential to the alchemy he studied.</p><p>Mustang blinked. “Coincidentally, Fullmetal and his brother are currently studying the previous research and sources of Shou Tucker, the Sewing Life Alchemist. Would you like to join them?”</p>
<hr/><p>“How do we keep on meeting?” Ed cocked an eyebrow as the other blond alchemist stepped out the black car.</p><p>“Chief, you know him already?” Havoc grinned. “The that makes this quick. Albedo’s the newest State Alchemist, the Chalkdust Alchemist!”</p><p>“Congrats. So? Why’re you here?”</p><p>“Just to look through Mr. Tucker’s recent research and sources. He is a specialist in bioalchemy and life is essential to the alchemy I study… thus it is only reasonable that I check the most recent knowledge regarding it before beginning my own research.”</p><p>“Ah,” Ed nodded. Again, Albedo’s way of speaking threw him off sometimes, being as formal and professional as it always was. He lingered next to Lieutenant Havoc as Albedo walked steadily like clockwork up the path to Tucker’s house.</p><p>He turned to Havoc. “He… doesn’t know what Al and I are here for, does he?”</p><p>Havoc shook his head. “The colonel didn’t say anything to him. He’s just interested in ‘bioalchemy’, is all.”</p><p>“Uh-huh…” </p>
<hr/><p>Nina poked her head into the library.</p><p>There was another one! This one kept reading too, flipping pages every now and then and staying as still as statues otherwise. He had really pretty teal eyes. Nina really liked his eyes.</p><p>She wondered how close she could get before they noticed anything or looked up.</p><p>She tiptoed to the one in armor, who was as big as a bear…</p><p>and was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. </p><p>“The brothers are working right now,” the one with pretty eyes said gently, as he kneeled. “They’re <em> really </em>busy, and might be annoyed if you bother them, you know?”</p><p>Nina couldn’t be deterred. “But except for Alexander, I don’t have anyone to play with!” She pouted. She knew Dad sometimes gave in when she pouted, so it had to have some effect. “And, and Dad’s always working, so I thought they would maybe play with me instead…”</p><p>He smiled, and Nina knew she had won. “Then how about this? After I put away these books, I’ll come play with you a bit.”</p><p>Nina nodded enthusiastically. “But, will they feel left out?” She frowned and pointed at the brothers. “They might want to play too…”</p><p>Albedo looked over to the brothers, who were each buried in stacks of tomes, eyes flicking back and forth over text, devouring the theories and experiments like Amber with a sticky pot roast. There was no pulling them from their books, Albedo thought.</p><p>“Let’s go play first,” Albedo smiled. “Maybe they’ll join us later.”</p>
<hr/><p>Over the course of playing with Nina, Albedo ascertained three facts.</p><p>One. Nina was similar to Klee. She had the same sort of childish glee when he lifted her onto his Solar Isotoma and let her ride it into the air. She would hop off as he gently let it down and shout, “again, again!” like a pendulum. She’d get gradually more tired of the same activity as it repeated, and finally, after between seventeen and twenty five repeats, would request a new activity or return to a previous one.</p><p>Two. Nina was nothing like Klee. Klee, with her unrestrained enthusiasm, was like one of her bombs— predictable to some degree, but bouncy, alive, and exploding with energy. She was erratic and powerful, like the wildfires she caused. Nina, on the other hand, was more like a bubbling potion that took its time to boil over. She was excited and bouncy and moved around, but she was also careful and apprehensive when looking at something new. Her curiosity would always win over though, and she’d tentatively poke at it before breaking into a wide grin and playing with it. Likely the result of growing up with an alchemist, Albedo thought. With dangerous and volatile experiments around, if Tucker knew what he was doing, he would warn her of the dangers of unfamiliar objects. Albedo was… glad that she had a healthy amount of both restraint and curiosity. </p><p>Three. Nina was lonely.</p><p>And this was what he disliked discovering the most. The way Nina would keep clinging onto Albedo’s arm as if Albedo would leave at any moment and that was unacceptable, the way her eyes would frown ever so slightly when Albedo wasn’t looking at her or was out of her sight, even if she still wore that bright smile… well, Albedo technically couldn’t actually break the heart beating in his chest due to certain circumstances, but Nina’s watery eyes did a good job of it.</p><p>Albedo promised himself that if he could return to Teyvat, he would play with Klee as much as she wanted.</p>
<hr/><p>As Ed turned the pages, he couldn’t get the sound of laughter out of his head. It kept coming at an almost constant interval, throwing his eyes off the line he was on as they swivelled around the room to look for its source.</p><p>“Again, again!” Nina giggled. Ed could barely hear the muffled voice from the basement library, ringing out of the little window that looked out to the lawn. </p><p>He stood up and stretched his neck and back, feeling like a sack of potatoes the way his had been stagnant the whole day. Perhaps a break would do him some good.</p><p>He walked out the door to the immediate <em> boof </em> of Alexander, who also spontaneously crushed him under his weight.</p><p>“Al…” he choked out from beneath the dog, “<em> help-</em>“</p><p>All the while, Nina, taking a piggyback ride on Albedo’s back, couldn’t stop laughing.</p><p>Ed looked up to see something he never expected to see, even though he’d barely known Albedo for two days.</p><p>A <em>smile</em>.</p><p>Not one of those practiced, calm, unflappable ones that were a mere polite upturn of the lips meant only to serve a purpose in social situations, but an actual <em>smile</em>, gentle, kind, with bright teal eyes that for once seemed to twinkle with joy and life, even amusement.</p><p>“Hello, Edward. Finally taking a break from the books?”</p><p>Ed grumbled, though there was no malice behind it. “I don’t want to hear that from you. And I told you, just call me Ed.”</p><p>Al laughed, and Ed fumed. “You traitor! Come help get this big loaf of a dog off my back!”</p><p>On the ride back to the barracks, Ed was curious. “You’re unexpectedly good with children.”</p><p>If Albedo noticed the subtle jab— that Ed hadn’t expected Albedo to be good with children— he didn’t say anything, only deigning to nod.</p><p>Ed thought that was that and the conversation was over, and turned back to the window and the buildings they passed.</p><p>“I… had a younger sister,” Albedo said.</p><p>Ed didn’t expect him to say anything… much less something so personal. He simply nodded. “I see.”</p><p>“She’s still alive,” Albedo almost rushed, as if he just realized that saying so might make someone jump to grave conclusions.</p><p>And then sagged ever so slightly in his seat. “Probably. I just won’t be able to see her for a while.”</p><p>“Probably?” Ed cocked an eyebrow.</p><p>“Yes, well…” Albedo pinched his nose bridge. “She does enjoy playing with explosives quite a bit. Thank goodness she’s not as destructive as Alice yet, though she will be in a few years…”</p><p>Ed deadpanned. “Ha… haha. You have an interesting family.”</p><p>Albedo smiled, one of his genuine ones again that Ed had come to enjoy seeing over the afternoon.</p><p>“Interesting indeed.”</p>
<hr/><p>Their first warning should have been the silence.</p><p>Never, in the week that they had visited, had Nina not been awake. In fact, she would jump out of the house at the sight of the military’s black car, run out of the house, and greet Ed, Al, and Albedo before even Shou Tucker could welcome them.</p><p>That should have been the first sign.</p><p>The second should have been the rain, or the stronger than usual aching in Ed’s ports, or the way they saw too many black cats in one alleyway on their way here, but nothing could really change what happened at this point.</p><p>They were too late.</p><p>They couldn’t have done anything.</p><p>They couldn’t do anything now.</p><p>Al knelt by the Nina and Alexander chimera, eyes dim, armor rattling. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Nina, Alexander…”</p><p>“Big brother…?” The chimera repeated again.</p><p>Ed’s breathing still hadn’t slowed down in the slightest. Shou Tucker’s silent body laid on the ground, face bloodied by Ed’s fist.</p><p>A single crater in the wall above Tucker’s head. No light in the godforsaken lab except for the dim lamp of the hallway. The muffled sound of thunder outside as the storm began.</p><p>These would forever remain imprinted in Albedo’s head as the moment he first experienced hatred.</p><p>Something sinister twisted his insides like a snake. It was almost like the purple energy of the cursed sword he’d gifted the Traveler, power that was stagnant yet tense, erratic yet cold. Power that took all of Albedo’s effort not to let it explode and engulf him like those burning warming bottles he’d carried around Dragonspine.</p><p>Yet his exterior remained icy cold, teal eyes narrowed, pure white chalk body completely still.</p><p>“<em>Damn it!</em>” Ed roared, swinging another mighty fist into the crater. Dust sifted down from the cracks in the ceiling as the building shook.</p><p>He dashed out of the door in a frenzy.</p><p>“Ah, brother!” Al shouted.</p><p>“Go,” Albedo finally said. “I’ll watch them.”</p><p>Al nodded, and chased after his brother.</p><p>Meanwhile, Albedo kneeled next to the chimera.</p><p>“I’m sorry…”</p>
<hr/><p>Al thought he finally realized what Ed meant when Ed said that Albedo was scary.</p><p>Sure, Albedo’s alchemy was terrifyingly skilled and practiced, and unusual in a way that the brothers both itched to investigate and uncover.</p><p>But just now? When Albedo had spoken, after staying as still as a statue for entire minutes?</p><p>There was a blizzard in Albedo’s eyes, a biting cold in Albedo’s voice.</p><p>Al had never seen Albedo like that before. And he hoped he’d never have to see it again.</p>
<hr/><p>Albedo swallowed his hostility. The most important thing right now was to see how he could help Nina, and Shou Tucker had already experienced his fill of pain, it seemed. Anything Albedo did would probably pale in comparison to the fist marks left by Edward.</p><p>More importantly, he needed to see how Shou had done it. If he could determine the steps taken to reach the conclusion, then perhaps he could rewind them to arrive once again at the source. Anyone else could have trouble doing so, but maybe Albedo could-</p><p>“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Albedo swiftly folded the haphazard notes and pocketed them.</p><p>“Just us, Chalkdust. At ease.” Mustang, then.</p><p>Albedo kept himself tense as they came in with more military personnel to clean up the lab.</p><p>“You seem to be doing better than the brothers, at least,” Mustang sighed. “Ed could barely speak.”</p><p>“Understandable. He likely hasn’t seen anything like this before,” Albedo mused. Ed was young, naive.</p><p>“And you have?”</p><p>Albedo couldn’t answer. Tucker had said it all in his defense to Ed. Was this not the duty of an alchemist? To venture into the unknown and transform it into the known by any means possible? The monsters he fought and studied, the life forms he created and ended with his own hands, they too were but products of science like Nina was now. </p><p><em> He </em> himself was but a product of science. Like Nina.</p><p>“What will happen to her?”</p><p>Mustang shrugged. “As a specimen of research, she has become property of the state. Tucker may continue to study her as he pleases, or she will be given to another alchemist or lab.”</p><p>“Let me take her,” Albedo said.</p><p>Mustang looked at the boy, who seemed nothing like the broken Elrics on the steps of headquarters, whose teal eyes burned with the rage of ten thousand and the determination of a rock wall, and he chuckled.</p><p>As much as Albedo hid his emotions like an unmovable statue, as still and stiff as he was, his eyes couldn’t lie.</p><p>“Mr. Tucker gets the first claim to her,” Mustang said. “If he agrees, then you can take her.”</p><p>“No! No, no, no!” Tucker shouted rabidly, finally coming to life. His wounds were treated, and the startled soldiers who helped him stood back as he stumbled towards the young alchemist.</p><p>“I’ve finally defended my State Alchemist certification, for <em>us</em> to live a happy life together. She’s <em>my</em> daughter! I won’t let you take her away!”</p><p>“For ‘<em>us’?</em>” Albedo finally let the coiling tense snake of hatred within him strike, feeling his blood suddenly move from stagnant to boiling to bubbling over, and shouted. “You’ve done this for <em>yourself</em>. You have no right to her, you have no right to call her your daughter. You <em>disgust</em> me.”</p><p>“Then see what Nina wants! She’s still my daughter, she’ll want to go with Dad, won’t she?”</p><p>Nina, looking for all the world like a lost little girl despite her appearance, swiveled her new snout back and forth between her father and the boy with pretty eyes, and saw in the former the way she screamed until her throat was hoarse as blue lightning surrounded her and Alexander, the crazed look in his eyes that she had never seen before except for once, once upon a time when her mother had shouted that she was leaving and Nina knew somewhere in the back of her mind that Mom didn’t actually leave, never took a step out of the door.</p><p>And she looked at Albedo, with his cold teal eyes that were still warm somehow, and saw herself placing two fingers to Albedo’s wrist as he showed her life, warmth, the pulse of the vein and said, “isn’t it amazing, Nina?” She saw the beautiful blue flower of stone turn and rise and unfurl itself into gold and his sturdy hands as he showed her how to safely climb on and jump off, and his sturdy arms as he caught her without fail every time.</p><p>She looked at Albedo.</p><p>“Brother…” she said. “Brother…”</p><p>“That decides it,” Mustang declared. “Shou Tucker. Your experiment has been confiscated by the state. Temporary ownership will be granted to the Chalkdust Alchemist. Go get yourself cleaned up.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WOW this got so much better of a reaction than I expected! (I'm surprised people enjoyed the scientific mumbo jumbo I wrote haha) I'll try to keep going :D I'm really really glad everyone's been enjoying this, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Nina? Can I call you Nina?"</p>
<p>The chimera nodded slowly. It felt to her like moving was too difficult, like she was in a vat of clear honey. But she nodded.</p>
<p>"... brother…?"</p>
<p>"Yes, Nina?"</p>
<p>He looked sad, she thought. She knew that the smile he wore on his lips was the same as any other, but the teal eyes told everything. And Nina didn't want to see those pretty teal eyes so muted. Those eyes were made to shine.</p>
<p>Albedo absentmindedly pat her on the head.</p>
<p>Mustang and Riza had left already, returning to headquarters to file Albedo's temporary ownership of Nina as a research subject. And Shou Tucker…</p>
<p>He sat despondent in a chair next to the window. Perhaps he was considering what he'd done. Albedo hoped for Tucker's sake that he was, because as steady and calm Albedo's eyes looked, his hand twitched to summon the familiar weight of his sword to his hand. And humans weren't as… durable as hilichurls.</p>
<p>The thunder rumbled again outside.</p>
<p>Nina nuzzled Albedo's still hand with her snout.</p>
<p>Lightning. The rumble of thunder. If only the situation weren't so grave, Albedo would've enjoyed drawing and immortalizing the tumultuous clouds and the arc of light that branched through the dark sky like veins streaking fire, pure energy, into the living, breathing, blowing storm.</p>
<p>It was no time for sketching. His eyes might have been on the white lightning in the sky, his ears might have picked up the claps of thunder, but what ran through his head were countless circles, matrices, symbols of blue lightning, golden light.</p>
<p>No, that circle wouldn't work. There was no guarantee that it would maintain the delicate cell structure of the inside lining of the blood vessels.</p>
<p>Then— but no, this one wouldn't maintain the elasticity of her joints.</p>
<p>But— No, he needed to guarantee the redirection of the soul was seamless—</p>
<p>Maybe— No. None of the circles he could think of had enough room to include all the matrices needed to reliably rebuild her body and ground every bit of soul in it.</p>
<p>Nina's size, approximately that of Alexander's (previously) and maybe a bit smaller, implied that either her matter was denser than it should be, or that the extra matter was sacrificed in the reaction in order to ground the soul. The latter was most likely given that Nina appeared to have a mostly healthy body.</p>
<p>If that matter had instead been sacrificed towards grounding the human soul, then it would be likely impossible to reobtain. Which made reversing this reaction properly almost impossible.</p>
<p>It probably would be impossible if it weren't Albedo. But it <em>was </em>Albedo.</p>
<p>If the possibility of returning her to her original body was impossible, then…</p>
<p>Albedo's eyes widened ever so slightly at the realization, mind running a mile a minute as new equations balanced themselves in his mind, familiar voices and lectures overlapping, new circles within circles within circles imprinting themselves, mind so occupied and filled and away from the world that he didn't notice when Nina whimpered at him and when Shou Tucker finally stood again and when the footsteps approached.</p>
<p>And so it went.</p>
<p>There was a clap of thunder.</p>
<p>"Are you Shou Tucker, the Sewing Life Alchemist?"</p>
<p>There was a hand outstretched.</p>
<p>There wasn't so much as a scream as the Tucker's arms fell to his side, lifeless. He was dropped to the ground like a ragdoll.</p>
<p>Nina let out a cry of pure agony, bit and tugged the bottom hem of Albedo's coat, and finally Albedo <em>moved.</em></p>
<p>He swept up Nina, carried her over a shoulder, sword already summoned to hand with the spark of gold and boots already taking him to the door and out of the room.</p>
<p>How absentminded must he have been to have not heard that man's approach? Albedo grit his teeth. If it had just been him, it would be fine, but with two other humans with him, he couldn't afford to lose touch with the world so easily. He should have still been vigilant, even if he knew that there were guards outside.</p>
<p>Said guards laid on rainy pavement, blood pouring from their orifices, and Albedo dashed past them with a quick silent apology. He'd call Mustang regarding them later, when he and Nina were safe again.</p>
<p>Not now, though. The man with a big x-shaped scar on his face was hot on their heels, and though Albedo was almost certain he'd be fine, it was his duty now to protect Nina.</p>
<p>With every step he bounded, every puddle he kicked up as he ran, Albedo kept his greatest asset, his mind, moving. When the scared man had grabbed Shou Tucker's head, there had been the universal sign of alchemy, lightning. Undeniably, the skill the man was using was alchemic in nature, but that level of destruction was abnormal.</p>
<p>Or… reminiscent of failed attempts of alchemy, but on a controlled scale. Interesting. In any case, alchemy required an understanding of its components, and Albedo was almost certain that nobody on this world knew exactly what he was made of. So he might not have to worry about the scarred man's skill as much.</p>
<p>The problem was Nina. Nina needed proper protection if Albedo planned to engage the man, and he wouldn't be able to provide it in the middle of the fight. So this was the first job— find the Elrics, or rush to headquarters, whichever he would reach sooner.</p>
<p>Easier said than done when there was a murderer hot on his heels. Albedo continued to move, legs turning and bracing and stepping and lifting in practiced motions. Sooner or later, his stamina would fail him— Albedo just needed to find someone first—</p>
<p>"Edward!"</p>
<p>Ed looked up, face empty and eyes vacant, rain streaming down his face, hair and clothes soaked, and promptly screamed, "Oh, holy <em>shit!</em>"</p>
<p>He clapped, blue lightning flashing in the ground and passing beneath Albedo's feet before it the low grumble of shifting stone joined the pitter-patter of rain, walls sprouting out of the ground into a cage of pure stone behind Albedo.</p>
<p>Nice handiwork. Albedo took the shortest moment he could to appreciate the seamless walls that barely showed the rectangular ridges of alchemical manipulation, and quickly got down to business, putting Nina down as gently and quickly as he could beside Alphonse. The armor was larger, better for protecting Nina. Edward was smaller and faster, better for fighting.</p>
<p>Albedo turned around and held his sword in a guarded, battle-ready stance. "Protect Nina. He just murdered Shou Tucker, and hasn't stopped chasing us. Be on guard."</p>
<p>Ed looked at him questioningly, until the stone wall burst open, little bits of gravel flying through the air, large chunks of stone cracking as they hit the ground.</p>
<p>And in the center, the man with the x-shaped scar. Albedo narrowed his eyes. <em>Now </em>he could fight.</p>
<p>"The Fullmetal Alchemist and the Chalkdust Alchemist. That saves me trouble," The man grimaced-grinned. Albedo honestly wasn't sure which it was, but the expression on the man's face was anything but kind, and that was all Albedo needed to know right now.</p>
<p>He'd said 'Fullmetal' and 'Chalkdust,' hadn't he? So he was probably targeting the two State Alchemists, which for now left Al and Nina safe, at least as long as the man ignored them.</p>
<p>"I'd say for now run and take Nina to a safe place, but you likely won't listen. So, don't let him touch you," Albedo warned.</p>
<p>Ed swiveled his head around. "What do you-"</p>
<p>Albedo was already gone, charging in.</p>
<p>The man and Albedo engaged in a deadly flurry of bladework and footwork, the scarred man's hands always barely centimeters away from Albedo. But still, Albedo kept dashing around, slashing once, twice, twice again, and then a thrust. The sword he thrust with his left hand disappeared with a shower of golden sparks and reappeared in his right hand, leading seamlessly into a large arcing slice, which cut into the scarred man's shoulder.</p>
<p>Albedo winced ever so slightly as he hurriedly corrected a misstep, jumping back for a moment to assess his state. This was no lawachurl or even mitachurl— those monsters' broad attacks and predictable patterns had made it easy to dodge and counter. There was no time to think through complicated strategies with an opponent like Scar. It was move or be hit, and Albedo wasn't certain what the man's hand attack would do to him, but he wasn't going to take the chance just to satisfy his curiosity.</p>
<p>Ed couldn't let Albedo outdo him. He transmuted the familiar blade onto his automail and charged in too, hopefully allowing Albedo a moment's respite.</p>
<p>As he jumped to dodge the man's outstretched palm, Ed barely registered the immaculate stone flower on the ground, and quickly dodged out of the way of the glowing stones that floated midair and suddenly burst, blasting out golden rock pellets that almost seemed like flowers. They seemed to push the scarred man back at least, and Ed would take any advantage he could get.</p>
<p>Albedo rushed back into the fray. "Duck!" he shouted as he fiercely slashed at the scarred man, who jumped out of the blade's path with ease. Albedo and Ed changed positions, Albedo taking the charge and Ed rushing around to try and surprise the man.</p>
<p>Ed had to wonder where both the man and Albedo had learned how to fight. Albedo was faster than even Ed, and seemed evenly matched with the man. No time to think though; the man ran forth again and—</p>
<p>Albedo's sword went in for the slash, and halted, caught in the man's palm.</p>
<p>Blue lightning arced around it, and for once, Ed saw Albedo surprised, eyes wide, as the sword shattered into pieces before their eyes.</p>
<p>Both the boys brought up an arm to shield their eyes from the sharp pieces of metal that burst outwards like shrapnel with the force of a bomb behind it.</p>
<p>The scarred man effortlessly took the opportunity to grab Ed's automail arm, his large hand sparking with electric blue alchemy again, but to no avail. The clothing ripped, and underneath it, a gleaming metal arm revealed itself.</p>
<p>Both boys hopped back with all their strength, finally putting distance between themselves and the man again. Ed, as soon as he could, clapped his hands and willed another cement cage to burst from the ground.</p>
<p>Ed panted, the adrenaline of the battle kicking in. His lungs burnt. He looked at Albedo, and realized one fundamental fact.</p>
<p>He was outmatched.</p>
<p>Here he was, already tired and weary after not even a few minutes of intense dodging, and he was already almost out of breath? Albedo didn't even seem the slightest bit tired, and the man they were fighting fared similarly well. Ed was out of his depth here.</p>
<p>And yet.</p>
<p>And yet, Albedo had been right, when he'd warned Ed. Ed had not even the slightest intention of backing down. His eyes had taken on an almost manic glint when accompanied with the grin he wore. "Al, get Nina away from here!" Ed shouted.</p>
<p>"We can all run," Albedo said with almost enviable calm, wiping the dust off from the side of his chin.</p>
<p>"Huh?"</p>
<p>"It's the best option; he seems to be targeting state alchemists," Albedo reasoned quickly, already running ahead. "Al, if you can get Nina to a safe place—"</p>
<p>Meters away from them, the stone cage was broken again, with a terrifying rumble that shook the ground. Ed's feet moved themselves, following Albedo's dash away from the scarred man.</p>
<p>As they ran, Ed weaved through a thin alleyway to reach the parallel street, Al carrying Nina close behind. Albedo looked back. The man was still far enough that, as the brothers left the alleyway, he had enough time to slam his palm to the ground and raise a stone wall behind them.</p>
<p>"Albedo!" Ed shouted as the gravel grumbled, shifting beneath their feet, rising and rising.</p>
<p>Albedo knew that walls were ineffective against that man. But if it could buy them precious time to get Nina away, then he was willing to give it a try.</p>
<p>He reached into the dimension to pull out his sword again, feeling a recoiling lurch from the deep pits of his soul as his hand grasped at nothing. No sword. He allowed himself, for once, a single word to express all his frustration, in the absence of young and impressionable ears.</p>
<p>"<em>Shit.</em>"</p>
<p>His alchemy was meant more for support than anything, and already a stretch in this world where his connection to Celestia was gone. He could keep running and dodging, buying time for the brothers to put Nina somewhere safe and get Mustang to help, but even he had a limit to his stamina.</p>
<p>He never let anything show on his face, but he was certain now that the scarred man knew Albedo was cornered. Albedo had no weapon, depleted stamina, and a dead end blocked alleyway.</p>
<p>"Answer me this, alchemist," the scarred man spoke, and wasn't that a surprise? Albedo had expected the man who had killed Tucker wordlessly to try the same with him. "Why do you protect that creature?"</p>
<p>Albedo immediately knew he was talking about Nina, and grit his teeth in a rare show of rage. "What would you have me do? Kill her?"</p>
<p>"What more does she have to live for? She will be passed from lab to lab, her only fate to be studied and dissected by scientists. Alchemists. By the likes of you."</p>
<p>Albedo couldn't bring himself to argue.</p>
<p>The man wasn't wrong.</p>
<p>That is, if Albedo weren't here. Albedo himself was a living contradiction of the fate the man predicted for Nina. He couldn't broadcast it to a murderous stranger though.</p>
<p>Albedo lowered his eyes and let the man believe what he believed. And Albedo ran. With what little stamina he had left, he turned, and took every step as far as he could.</p>
<p>"Too slow," the man's voice was right behind him, too close, right up against his ear, and Albedo could feel, with his rising heart rate from being startled, the too-hot too-large hand against the side of his head.</p>
<p>The familiar yet foreign heat of offensive alchemy burned on his skin, and dissipated with the telltale fizzle smoky smell of a failed reaction.</p>
<p>Albedo could have smirked. Of course. His hypothesis was right. He wasn't human. And armed with this knowledge, this became not a game of tag… but a battle of the martial arts. Honestly, Albedo would be more comfortable having a blade, but it would be a liability in a battle against a man who could destroy it with a touch. But he was not a Knight of Favonius for nothing.</p>
<p>The scarred man had the physical advantage. He was larger and stronger, but so long as Albedo could dodge being hit unconscious, he should be fine.</p>
<p>Before Albedo could react though, the man was already in his space.</p>
<p>Albedo was vaguely aware that he'd been struck in the back of his neck.</p>
<p>"In the end, you will be unable to save the girl," the scarred man declared gravely, as if his ultimatum was simply fate.</p>
<p>Albedo was tired of fate. So, so tired. "... I <em>will,</em>" he uttered with his final strength.</p>
<p>The world seemed to spin and every little voice seemed too loud and too quiet at the same time and tiny curls of black licked against the edge of his field of vision. This wasn't his first time experiencing lightheadedness— no, far from it— and he couldn't afford to lose consciousness here—</p>
<p>But at least Nina was safe.</p>
<p>His eyes closed against his will.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Blue lightning flashed around the boy's body.</p>
<p>How?</p>
<p>Another flash of blue.</p>
<p>Why? Why wasn't the deconstruction working?</p>
<p>Another flash of blue.</p>
<p>He'd assumed the first two times that he'd accidentally brought to mind the wrong material to deconstruct, and that therefore the halfway-transmutations had failed.</p>
<p>But at this point, after so many tries, there was no mistaking it.</p>
<p>This boy was most <em>certainly</em> not human. Then what? He looked and moved and acted like any other person, and yet…</p>
<p>"What have you done?!" shouted the tiny Fullmetal Alchemist from behind him. So he had returned for his friend. How convenient, yes.</p>
<p>"I have passed the judgement of Ishvala upon him, as I will for all State Alchemists," he replied as he stood from the boy's still body.</p>
<p>The boy wasn't dead. He hadn't had time to kill the boy without the use of alchemy, being so baffled by the boy's unnatural composition. He could feel a pulse, right next to that odd four-pointed star tattoo on the boy's neck. But it would rile up the Fullmetal Alchemist, and anger often got the better of these Amestrians; it made their moves easier to predict.</p>
<p>As expected, the boy's eyes widened in a mixture of horror, fear, and an intense pyre of rage awoke in the shining golden irises. "You… <em>bastard!</em>" the raw scream tore from the alchemist's throat as he charged forward, automail arm once again transformed.</p>
<p>"Wait, Brother!" "Wait, Fullmetal!" "Edward!" simultaneously called from beside the black automobile that had just arrived.</p>
<p>No bother. Scar, for he had no more name, stepped forth and once again grabbed the boy's metal arm with ease. "Too slow."</p>
<p>The alchemist's hot head and slow movements cost him his metal arm, and would soon cost him his life as well.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The sickening <em>crunch, crackle, pop, clank</em> as Winry's handiwork came apart, metal bits and chunks flying from where his arm once was, signalled only one thing to Edward.</p>
<p><em>Imminent death</em>. No alchemy. Down a limb.</p>
<p>He stumbled back weakly on the pavement as the scarred man stepped steadily forward and flexed one hand.</p>
<p>Three sharp gunshots rang through the air like the trumpets of an angel's horn. That precise timing and accuracy to hit the shoulder when the scarred man moved so quickly could only be Hawkeye. Ed held back his urge to sigh in relief as the man clutched his bloody shoulder.</p>
<p>And finally, the deep booming voice of Major Armstrong called out, and Edward could finally sigh.</p>
<p>The cavalry was here, and no matter how strong Scar was, he was only a man in the end.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Ah! He's waking up! Brother, hurry up!"</p>
<p>Albedo blinked his eyes open to the unnatural white fluorescence of ceiling lights. There was the uncanny smell of lemon in the air, too much like the cleaning spray that Barabara had liked using in the Cathedral's clinic. Albedo resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose.</p>
<p>The bed was too cushy and had too much give. Albedo, with some effort, pushed himself up to a sitting position.</p>
<p>"Hey, Albedo!" Al greeted. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?"</p>
<p>Albedo must not have been himself. "Like I was just run over by a herd of Shield Mitachurls," he answered honestly.</p>
<p>Too honestly.</p>
<p>He mentally gave himself a stern warning to pretend he hadn't said that. "Fine, Alphonse," he corrected himself.</p>
<p>"Uh-huh…" Al seemed at a loss for words.</p>
<p>"Where's Nina?"</p>
<p>"Oh!" Al perked up. "She's at headquarters right now, being taken care of by Lieutenant Hawkeye."</p>
<p>Albedo allowed himself a deep sigh of relief. Nina was safe. Good.</p>
<p>"Oi, <em>Albedo!</em>" finally came the other Elric's voice. It was loud, with a characteristic throatiness that was unique to Edward's shouts of anger. He was angry, wasn't he?</p>
<p>"Yes, Edward?" Albedo turned to him as if it were a query from a Sumerun Scholar. That is to say, behind five layers or more of practiced courtesy, politeness, and the slight tone changes he always used normally.</p>
<p>That is to say, he responded to Edward as if nothing had happened.</p>
<p>Ed fumed. "'Yes, Edward,' my ass!" he grumbled. "You- you…"</p>
<p>Now that some of that single-minded rage had dissipated, Albedo wasn't certain what exactly it was on Ed's face. Sadness? No, not quite. It was ever so slightly familiar, like those faces Sucrose or Timaeus would make whenever he decided that to maximize efficiency, sleeping at his desk would be best, or the face that Alice would pretend she wasn't making when she thought Albedo wasn't looking.</p>
<p>Ah.</p>
<p>It was concern, wasn't it.</p>
<p>"I thought you died," Ed finally said.</p>
<p>"... I didn't." Albedo didn't know what to say. "I…"</p>
<p>"You made that wall! You separated from us, and I came back to see you on the ground; what was I supposed to think?!"</p>
<p>Ah, there was the rage. Albedo bowed his head.</p>
<p>"We thought you'd stopped breathing— you- why was your pulse so steady when you weren't breathing?"</p>
<p>Could he escape without giving an answer for this one? He wasn't too keen on answering this one, though he supposed it was inevitable that people would question it eventually. He couldn't consciously remember to breathe when his mental facilities weren't functioning, and the operation of his body wasn't dependent on the intake of oxygen. But regular humans breathed.</p>
<p>This was why he disliked social situations such as this.</p>
<p>He couldn't answer, but the people around him expected one, which obligated him to answer even at his own risk.</p>
<p>There was a thick tension in the room, an apprehensive silence awaiting Albedo's response, and-</p>
<p>"Oh! Albedo, you're awake," Riza's voice came like a saving grace from the doorway. "Nina's been whining and wanting to come see you, so I brought her."</p>
<p>"Brother," Nina repeated, and it could have been Albedo's ears fooling him, but Nina's voice sounded the slightest bit brighter, the slightest bit quicker, the slightest bit more human.</p>
<p>His teal eyes softened. "Hello, Nina. I'm glad you're safe."</p>
<p>"Brother, safe. Brother, hurt?"</p>
<p>"I'm fine now," Albedo offered a reassuring smile. "Would you like to go outside and play?"</p>
<p>Nina's nod was all he needed to escape the room, and he <em>gladly</em> took the opportunity, flipping aside his covers and leading the chimera out the door.</p>
<p>"Eh- Mr. Albedo, your injuries!" Al shouted.</p>
<p>"And I wasn't done yet!" followed Ed.</p>
<p>Albedo gave them a quick wave as he led Nina through the hallway following the signs towards the hospital's courtyard, completely unapologetic. He was certain they wouldn't see the slight frown on his face when he was turned away.</p>
<p>The warmth in his chest that he'd felt that time Edward offered him a place to stay… It had grown again.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Ed growled. "That idiot! I wasn't finished yet!"</p>
<p>"Well, brother, all's well that ends well, don't you think?" Al placatingly held his hands up, though he knew it would be futile. Ed was like a fireball, sometimes. He sighed.</p>
<p>"Oh, right. I forgot to tell him," Riza realized. "I suppose it can wait."</p>
<p>"Hm?"</p>
<p>"Mustang filed Albedo's request for temporary ownership of Nina as a research subject, and the State has approved it."</p>
<p>Ed saw red.</p>
<p>"<em>What?"</em></p>
<hr/>
<p>Albedo smiled as Nina sat beside him. She was much more lively now, to Albedo's great relief. After all, the chimera wasn't her natural body, and any signs of dissociation between the soul and body would make Albedo's challenge more difficult. For the time being, he was free to recalculate, re-evaluate, and envision the circles he needed at ease.</p>
<p>The solution to his dilemma, the steps for reversing the reaction, would be beyond anything he'd done before.</p>
<p>Even the greatest alchemists couldn't make life from scratch without great, great sacrifice. But if it was Albedo…</p>
<p>Albedo went against every law of nature. Albedo himself was the impossible realized. And surely, surely, for the sake of Nina, he could realize the impossible once more.</p>
<p>
  <em>If there was no way to retrieve her and Alexander's previous bodies… then the only way forward was to create one anew.</em>
</p>
<p>This was the realization he had come to before the scarred man had interrupted.</p>
<p>If he could create a vessel for her soul, one that could grow and was in every way the same as that of a normal human, then she could be human again. She could live normally again.</p>
<p>He'd have to draft circles, consider it from every angle. There was no room for error, not with Nina, and experimentation was out of the question. Theory alone had served him well enough before, but a human body was a different ballpark altogether from the simple wings of a crystalfly or the pure elemental energy that composed vishaps.</p>
<p>Ah… if only he had his sketchbook with him. But he didn't want to return to the tense room where he was certain Edward and Alphonse hadn't given up their questioning quite yet.</p>
<p>For now…</p>
<p>"Brother?"</p>
<p>"The sun is quite nice, isn't it?" Albedo smiled.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Do you really think, Edward, looking at the way he looks at Nina, that he has any malicious intent towards Nina?"</p>
<p>Edward had to admit that he had leaped to conclusions. The thought of Nina being treated as a research subject didn't sit well in his mind. Made his blood boil, in fact. Nina didn't deserve what happened to her, and he'd be damned if he let anything more happen.</p>
<p>After all, in the end, he couldn't restore her. He couldn't save her. Neither he nor Al could, and admitting that crushed something inside of him to pieces. His arrogance, perhaps? What good was he, his two hands, and his alchemy if he couldn't save a little girl?</p>
<p>But what had he done? He'd simply ran away and wallowed in the rain, assuming that Nina would be safe for the time being. If Albedo hadn't stayed behind to watch and protect her…</p>
<p>Ed shuddered at the thought. Scar was the most terrifying person he had ever met, barring Teacher. Ed wasn't sure he'd be able to protect Nina from Scar like Albedo had, and honestly, he was terrified by that. He had gotten lucky. Scar was seconds away from killing him.</p>
<p>So how was Albedo <em>alive</em>? Ed couldn't stop returning to this question, it was like a beacon in his mind. A warning siren, a red flag. Something about Albedo was odd— many things, in fact. First, his unnatural alchemy, dealing so closely with life. It wasn't unheard of… ugh, Ed did <em>not</em> want to think about Shou Tucker. But even Tucker's skills paled in comparison to Albedo's, who'd somehow converted <em>paper</em> into a <em>butterfly</em>. That. That didn't just <em>happen</em>; life was complex, couldn't be molded without the most precise care and calculation, and Albedo had done it like it was nothing.</p>
<p>There was Albedo's odd stone alchemy that he'd used to play with Nina and used again in the middle of battle. The stone flower that sprouted out of the ground. Ed knew he could recreate that with ease, but something about the way that design in particular, the four-pointed flower, kept appearing… in any case, Ed took note of it.</p>
<p>Then there was the way Albedo seemed… out of touch with the world, somehow. Ed wasn't sure he'd ever seen anything like Albedo's outfit, as mundane of a point that was. It was so oddly crafted, with touches of leather where they weren't needed, a metal arm-piece and thigh-piece that both seemed to serve no purpose. Ed wasn't usually one to nitpick on other's outfits considering the way he himself dressed, but Albedo's outfit was elaborate in a way that Ed wasn't sure he'd ever seen in this world.</p>
<p>It was cool, though. That, Ed had to admit. Maybe he could ask Albedo where he got it.</p>
<p>It wasn't just the clothes. The sword, too. The way it glowed golden and appeared and disappeared in battle so smoothly. If it were alchemy, Ed was certain he'd know, as an alchemy expert himself. It <em>wasn't</em>. Where was the sword coming from? It broke the laws of alchemy if it manifested out of thin air, but there wasn't the characteristic red lightning of a philosopher's stone. It just <em>didn't make sense.</em></p>
<p>Besides, who used a sword in this day and age? Maybe the Fuhrer, but because the Fuhrer's strength and speed were unparalleled, inhuman, almost. Albedo was definitely well practiced with the sword. His gliding movements were a far cry from Edward's wild unpracticed swings with a sword that length. That said, a sword wasn't really Ed's weapon of choice.</p>
<p>And finally, the breathing.</p>
<p>Ed was <em>certain</em> that Albedo wasn't breathing. He couldn't even feel the slightest movement from Albedo's chest when he was unconscious, couldn't feel the puff of breath that should have indicated life. And yet Albedo's pulse had been steady.</p>
<p>Ed was just as certain that he'd seen alchemical lightning when Scar was crouched by Albedo's still body, but Albedo was still alive. Scar was a killer. A quick one. Ed didn't think Scar would leave Albedo alive if he could help it, given what the colonel had told Ed about Scar.</p>
<p>Don't get him wrong, Ed was glad Albedo wasn't dead… but confused. <em>Beyond</em> confused.</p>
<p>He flopped back onto the cushions of his own bed, letting his thoughts stew. The mystery of Albedo was truly a force to be reckoned with.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"So? What'll you do now?" Ed asked.</p>
<p>The storm had finally passed, leaving an almost cloudless blue sky as far as the eye could see. "Travel, I suppose," Albedo hummed.</p>
<p>Of course, he had to prioritize returning Nina to her former state, but he'd need a powerful catalyst for it, one that he wasn't sure how to find on this world that was so different from Teyvat.</p>
<p>So he'd return to his original objective. He was here to study the world, and he couldn't do that if he wasn't at all familiar with it. Practically speaking, he was only one person and there was only so much he could see with his own eyes, but… The nostalgic feeling of going out and transforming the unknown into the known with his own hands was something he discovered he quite enjoyed while travelling with the Traveler. (Wasn't that ironic, he thought again. He was now a Traveler.)</p>
<p>"Where to?"</p>
<p>A true Modstadtian would answer, 'wherever the wind takes me,' because Barbatos's wind wouldn't lead them astray— at least, not unless he was feeling mischievous— but that was a moot point in this world, where the archons didn't seem to exist.</p>
<p>Albedo patted Nina's head. Her snout was just tall enough to peek over the side of the bed, making for a quite comical scene where she kept trying to stretch her neck up and rest her chin on the beside. He knew he needed a way to defend Nina and himself first; stone alchemy alone wouldn't cut it. He needed a sword— not a makeshift one made with alchemy using the mishmash of cobble on the street, but an <em>actual</em> sword, crafted with an eye for the exact cut, weight, and grip Albedo desired.</p>
<p>"Are there any good blacksmiths around?" Albedo finally asked.</p>
<p>Ed had the feeling they had entirely switched topics in the span of Albedo's five second silence. He blinked, as Al answered for him. "Not that we know of. You could check Central; there's everything there."</p>
<p>Albedo nodded. "I see. Thank you, Alphonse."</p>
<p>"No problem! Brother and I are planning on returning to Resembool to see his mechanic."</p>
<p>Albedo glanced at Ed, whose right sleeve hung from his shoulder, empty, a currently extraneous piece of fabric. "Ah. I see."</p>
<p>As was the case in any conversation with Albedo, an odd silence followed his statement. It was probably the way he commanded so much attention when he spoke, slow and steady, yet with three words, ended the whole conversation.</p>
<p>"Would you like to come with us?" Al asked innocently.</p>
<p>"Hm?"</p>
<p>Ed sputtered incoherently. "Where did that come from? And would he even want to come to Resembool in the first place? It's pretty out of the way…"</p>
<p>"Well, Colonel Mustang said that since Scar was going around, we needed at least a Major-ranked guard with us… and his first choice was going to be Major Armstrong."</p>
<p>Ed envisioned those sparkles, those shiny pecs and the deep and somehow smooth voice, and shuddered, a chill sneaking up his spine. "No thanks."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Are you sure you don't need another guard?" Mustang cocked an eyebrow at the three teenage boys and one chimera in front of him. "Fullmetal, you're virtually defenseless right now. And Albedo, were you not injured in that battle?"</p>
<p>"It's okay, Colonel!" Al spoke for all of them. "I'm still fine. I can protect them."</p>
<p>Mustang didn't look particularly convinced. "Uh huh. Well, if you say so. There should be less risk of encountering danger considering where you're going… so just be on guard."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"I'm sorry, sir, pets aren't allowed in the train cars," the attendant held out his hand to stop Albedo from stepping on.</p>
<p>A tick grew on Ed's forehead, and he resisted the urge to punch the train attendant to hell and back. Al whispered a soft, "Brother," in warning, almost chiding, and he sighed. Of course he wouldn't do something so idiotic.</p>
<p>And then he felt the chill.</p>
<p>It actually felt <em>cold</em>. Edward wanted to shrink into his coat.</p>
<p>Albedo's glare was as fierce as a <em>blizzard</em>, and paired with those unusually bright teal eyes that almost seemed to glow, no one was safe from the sudden chilliness in the air, not even the passing civilians who had nothing to do with the matter.</p>
<p>"I've paid for her passenger's ticket." Albedo's voice, slow and steady, left no room for argument.</p>
<p>The train attendant gulped. "I apologize, sir. Rules are rules."</p>
<p>"Ah, I see," Albedo said, in such a tone that completely contradicted those placating and unassuming words. "She's my guide dog," he smoothly lied. Working with the Knight of Favonius's sly cavalry captain occasionally, he had definitely picked up a few tactics. And if nothing else, Albedo knew how to keep unnervingly long eye contact.</p>
<p>"A-ah, yes." The attendant moved aside with a shiver as Albedo and Nina boarded.</p>
<p>Ed snickered as they reached the seats they'd booked, a pair of two-seat benches that faced each other. From this side, they could still wave at Mustang, who was watching from the platform.</p>
<p>"You really showed him!" Ed almost cackled. "That was great."</p>
<p>Albedo carefully helped Nina into the seat before gracefully taking his own.</p>
<p>"... Thanks," Nina said, leaning the side of her head against Albedo's shoulder.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The train ride from East City to Resembool took about four hours. For three of those, Edward and Nina were asleep. For all of those, Alphonse watched quietly as Albedo's hands flew across the page of his sketchbook, sometimes writing and sometimes drawing.</p>
<p>Albedo hadn't made an effort to physically hide whatever he was writing or drawing, and Al gladly took the opportunity to see the machinations of the genius alchemist on paper, even if the journal was encoded and most likely unreadable to anyone besides Albedo.</p>
<p>The drawings were easier to read, though, the fleeting scenery that would pass in one second, occasional circles, diagrams, and-</p>
<p>"Is that Nina?" Al breathed in fascination. With just those few quick strokes, Al could so clearly see who it was.</p>
<p>Albedo hummed in confirmation, saying nothing more.</p>
<p>"Amazing! It looks just like her. You're amazing at art."</p>
<p>"... Thanks," Albedo said.</p>
<p>A comfortable silence filled with the rumbling of the train and the snores of Ed settled over the two awake alchemists again.</p>
<p>Al twiddled his thumbs.</p>
<p>Albedo turned the page.</p>
<p>Al kept fidgeting, before finally, hesitantly, he asked, "Do you think… you could teach me how to draw?"</p>
<p>Albedo seemed taken aback for a moment, and Al wondered if he'd asked for too much too soon, because while Brother kept looking at Albedo as a puzzle that he wanted to solve at any cost— Al too, wanted to unravel the mystery that was Albedo— but Al also saw the way Albedo had walked away from their concern, and knew that he was keeping his distance.</p>
<p>It seemed like a lonely life to live, so far above everyone else in knowledge and yet still pushing away those who wanted to help him.</p>
<p>So Al wondered, in the now awkward silence left after his question, if he hadn't overstepped a line somehow, since Albedo looked surprised.</p>
<p>But then Albedo's face smoothed over into something slight and unreadable and he said, "Alright." A pause. "... What do you want to learn first?"</p>
<p>Al physically couldn't smile with his armor, but if he could, he was sure a wide grin would be splitting his face.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Ed stretched as he stepped off the train, feeling his neck stiffen as a result of his poor sleeping posture. At least he got a satisfying neck crack in.</p>
<p>Al followed, and would probably look wistful if he could. "When was the last time we saw Winry and Grandma?"</p>
<p>They turned to Albedo, who finally got off the train, Nina on his heels.</p>
<p>Ed grinned, not unlike an evil plotter who knew something Albedo didn't. "Hope you're ready to walk pretty far."</p>
<p>Albedo didn't look worried in the slightest. "It should be no problem."</p>
<p>The rural scenery of Resembool greeted them as soon as they left the train station. Rolling green hills and the bright blue sky, grazing animals scattered over the lush fields.</p>
<p>Albedo <em>breathed</em>, taking a deep inhale of the fresh country air, allowing the warm spring wind to fill his lungs. This… was like the wide plain of Windvale, yet not, at the same time. Absent were the overhanging cliffs that Barbatos's fierce winds had carved for his people; gone were the sparse ruins that told of ancient civilization lost. But Albedo felt the same feeling of peace, of his heartbeat slowing, of the scent of grass carried by wind.</p>
<p>"It's not much," Ed began, though the nostalgic look on his face said something different.</p>
<p>"It is home, though," Al said.</p>
<p>"It's beautiful," Albedo said softly. His hand itched to take out a pencil and sketchbook and sketch the view that stretched before them, with the picturesque dirt path leading from the station.</p>
<p>Ed and Al were already walking though, and Albedo followed, keeping a corner of his sight on Nina, who seemed to also be taking in the view.</p>
<p>"Pretty…" Nina said from beside Albedo.</p>
<p>Albedo silently agreed.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"You've shrunk, haven't you? You midget."</p>
<p>"I don't want to hear that from you, you minimum-sized hag!" Ed spat. "Shouldn't you say 'you got taller' in this case?"</p>
<p>"But you didn't." Pinako shot back without missing a beat, before turning to the newcomer. "So? Who's this?"</p>
<p>Ed perked back up. "Albedo?"</p>
<p>Albedo stepped forward himself. "Nice to meet you. I'm Albedo… Kreideprinz."</p>
<p>The name, though it was his title, still felt unfamiliar on his tongue. He'd never vocally used the title Kreideprinz before, believing it unnecessary when he was reputable by the name 'Albedo' alone in Mondstadt. He would have to get used to it though; there was no helping that people here commonly had last names.</p>
<p>"He's the newest State Alchemist! Albedo's amazing," Al added.</p>
<p>Albedo, who often heard such praise on the streets of Mondstadt, usually disregarded it. It was fact; he could do many things that others couldn't. From Al's earnest voice, however, Albedo couldn't bring himself to simply nod and disregard the compliment. The warmth in his chest wouldn't allow it.</p>
<p>With slight uncertainty, Albedo scratched the back of his head, even knowing that it served no practical purpose because that spot didn't itch at all. "... Thank you."</p>
<p>There. Done. That was fine, right? Albedo deliberately ignored the way Ed looked at him slightly wide-eyed as if he'd said something odd. He knew from social customs that one was supposed to express appreciation for praise they received, so he assured himself he'd done nothing out of the ordinary, cleared his throat and continued where he'd left off. "And this is Nina," he gestured to the chimera.</p>
<p>"Nice to… meet you," Nina said. 'I'm… Nina."</p>
<p>Albedo couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face. Nina spoke a full sentence— two, in fact! "If the mental degeneration caused by the reaction was only temporary, she still has the brain and cognizance of a six-year-old child…" Albedo mused. "Of course; she can still learn and mentally develop— she can probably still grow, as well…"</p>
<p>Here, his musings went silent again, a visage of absentmindedness and yet fierce concentration taking its natural place on Albedo.</p>
<p>(So it wouldn't be enough to just make Nina the same body she had before; Albedo would have to make sure the body followed Nina's current mental growth, which may vary depending on how much of her composition was still human versus canine.</p>
<p>He'd have to edit his circles some…)</p>
<p>Pinako looked breathless at the sound of Nina's voice. "... Ed, what?"</p>
<p>Both Ed and Al looked away, shame and guilt covering their faces. "It's… a long story. Anyways. Nina, and Albedo Kreideprinz, the Chalkdust Alchemist," Ed finished the introduction. "They've both got their own circumstances, but they're accompanying us for now."</p>
<p>"Huh," Winry sighed, finally visible from the top deck of the Rockbell house. "Another alchemy fanatic. Great- EDWARD ELRIC, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO WITH MY ARM-"</p>
<hr/>
<p>Albedo sat, silently observing as Pinako and Winry fussed around Ed, who had already shrugged off most layers of his clothes. The two automail mechanics worked quickly and efficiently, in a way that showed off years of practice, and yet were rather raucous.</p>
<p>"Grandma! Where did you leave that 5/16 offset wrench?"</p>
<p>"Check the green toolbox. Don't forget to bring the spares!"</p>
<p>The hustle and bustle of just two people somehow resembled the liveliness of a whole town. It wasn't unlike Wagner the blacksmith and his apprentice, who were single-handedly responsible for at least a fourth of all the noise within the walls of Mondstadt.</p>
<p>"Right. Ready? 1… 2… 3!"</p>
<p>Ed's face scrunched up; his odd expression of a grimace and pucker combined almost masked the short wince of pain.</p>
<p>"Thanks for the warning," Ed sighed, taking a few extra heaves of breath. "What's wrong, Albedo?"</p>
<p>"Oh." Had he accidentally shown something on his face? "It just appears that the sudden disconnection of your nerves causes you some pain, is all."</p>
<p>Ed scratched his cheek in what Albedo interpreted as sheepishness, before breaking into a grin. "Not at all!"</p>
<p>"3!" Winry shouted, a hint of mischief clear in the voice as she yanked the wrench near Ed's knee in a quick stroke.</p>
<p>"HGAH! I thought I told you to give me a warning!" Ed fumed.</p>
<p>Winry stuck her nose in the air. "Stop acting tough! Besides," she hmphed, "It's best to get it over with quickly anyways, like peeling off a band-aid."</p>
<p>Edward rolled his eyes and rolled his pant leg back down. "Yeah, yeah. Hey, is the flower shop open?"</p>
<p>"Hm?" Winry looked up from where she was tidying the toolbox. "Oh. Yeah… it is." Wordlessly, she took the rest of the supplies back down the hallway, leaving a somber silence behind her.</p>
<p>Albedo… wasn't sure what to do. He was, as much as he disliked it, out of his depth here.</p>
<p>"Make yourself at home," Ed said to Albedo as he put on his coat. "You comin', Al?"</p>
<p>Al, uncharacteristically silent, followed Ed out the door.</p>
<p>Albedo wasn't sure what to do. So he did what he did best, and thought. Ed's lips were upturned, but his brows were furrowed, leaving the impression that Ed was very weakly masking some sort of sadness with the smile he wore. So… something had changed, between Ed asking if the flower shop was open and Ed and Al leaving.</p>
<p>What would Ed need flowers for, that would also make him sad— almost subdued, somehow— and so unlike how he usually acted?</p>
<p>A grave. Someone in the brothers' past?</p>
<p>"They're going to visit their mother's grave," Pinako said.</p>
<p>Albedo almost startled, but he wouldn't be doing a good job of staying vigilant if an old woman could catch him off guard. He'd heard her quiet footsteps padded with slippers.</p>
<p>"I see," Albedo simply replied. "My condolences."</p>
<p>Pinako tapped her pipe on the ashtray twice.</p>
<p>Albedo blinked.</p>
<p>"Not going to ask anymore?" Pinako took a drag out of her pipe. "Aren't all you alchemists too curious for your own good?" There, Albedo thought he could hear the faintest trace of cold hostility, though he could have blinked and missed it.</p>
<p>"Perhaps," Albedo said, because the woman's words certainly had merit to them. The curiosity of alchemists had led to the rise and fall of entire nations, and Albedo knew this better than anyone. "But it isn't my place to know," he truthfully acknowledged. "Nor is it relevant to my research and understanding of their character." he lied.</p>
<p>"You looked away, you're a terrible liar." Pinako pointed out without missing a beat. No one was as sharp as an old woman. "Thank you for your consideration though," she smiled. "I'm sure the boys appreciate it."</p>
<p>Albedo nodded.</p>
<p>People didn't like pryers. Albedo himself greatly disliked unwanted questions. It would hardly make sense for him to 'stick his nose where it didn't belong,' as it were.</p>
<p>"Answer me this," Pinako looked at Albedo with a familiar sort of expression, "Why is Ed's arm broken? What have the boys gotten into?"</p>
<p>She looked down, and Albedo realized that the frown and far-off gaze was worry. The same sort of expression that the Acting Grand Master had whenever something concerned her little sister, or those sneaked glances that Albedo would catch Master Diluc sending to his adopted brother.</p>
<p>The expression that, once upon a time, in the crunchy snow, he'd see on his master, as he fell face-first into a sheet of ice.</p>
<p>"They don't send letters, see," Pinako continued. They just suddenly come home… one missing an arm."</p>
<p>"They got into a fight," Albedo found himself saying. (Admitting. No, admitting would imply that he was keeping it from her. He had no intention of keeping it from her.) "There's been a dangerous man targeting… famous State Alchemists, recently."</p>
<p>Pinako slumped into her seat as if fatigued, with a great heavy sigh. Albedo wondered if he should have just not said anything.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Nina felt awake.</p>
<p>She couldn't sleep, actually.</p>
<p>When she'd first awoken, sometime while they were still in East City, she'd felt this wholehearted sense of <em>wrongness</em>. What was she doing here? Why was she here? Why was she… Where was Alexander?</p>
<p>She felt like she was still dreaming, like none of this was real… but no longer could she give herself this excuse, when moving now felt smooth and easy and she could form entire clear thoughts. She didn't want to go back to having muddled thoughts and incoherent bits of pictures going through her mind. She didn't want to sleep, or be sleepy.</p>
<p>She knew.</p>
<p>She knew that her father had betrayed her.</p>
<p>She knew that she would have died had Albedo not carried her from the room when that big man had come.</p>
<p>She knew that her father died.</p>
<p>So why, why, why did she feel so sad? So heavyhearted? Her father had done nothing for her.</p>
<p>He'd smiled and played with her. He'd introduced her to Alexander. He'd introduced her to the alchemists that had saved her. But then he'd taken two of those away, and Nina wasn't sure what to think anymore.</p>
<p>And finally, now, in this beautiful small town, where she was greeted with the rolling hills and grazing animals and blazing sunset, she was alone with her thoughts.</p>
<p>"Nina? That was your name, right?"</p>
<p>Nina looked up. There was the pretty girl there, with eyes bluer than any picture of the ocean Nina had ever seen. Nina… didn't trust her own voice. Didn't like the way it was too deep, felt a deep sort of stirring within her gut whenever she had to hear it. She nodded.</p>
<p>"The brothers didn't say anything," Winry huffed. "How indelicate. I had to hear from Albedo about you."</p>
<p>Albedo. Albedo, Albedo, Albedo.</p>
<p>Why was Albedo doing all of this for her? Nina had only known him for a few days.</p>
<p>"I understand if you don't want to speak," Winry said softly. "I'm glad you're okay though."</p>
<p>Was she okay? Was Nina okay?"</p>
<p>"I'm… not," Nina choked out. "I'm… sad. I'm… angry."</p>
<p>Every word felt like a cough drop lodged in her throat. Too unnatural. Too much like she couldn't breathe. But how else could she say this? How else could she explain that she still loved and mourned the father that had betrayed her so?</p>
<p>She let out something between a sob and a whimper, and <em>hated </em>it. She tried to bring a <strike>hand</strike> paw up to wipe away the tears pouring from her eyes, and found that her elbow didn't quite bend that way, and <em>hated </em>it.</p>
<p>"It's okay," Winry hugged her. "It's okay, it's okay," she placated softly, kindly. Nina wanted to believe it, and let the words soothe her as far as she could. Wasn't that amazing? The first time she was hugged since…</p>
<p>Nina leaned into the warm embrace. "I…"</p>
<p>"It's okay," Winry said again. "You… don't have to speak. I can't say I get exactly what you're going through, but… I know you're having a rough time."</p>
<p>Nina nodded, sniffling. She hoped she didn't get Winry's shirt dirty accidentally.</p>
<p>"Just know that I'm here, alright? I know that the boys aren't very good at talking through things or god forbid, hugging." Winry chuckled away some of her own tears. "But I'm here."</p>
<p>Nina nodded.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hgvbghhh i dont know how to write fight scenes help</p>
<p>anyways, next time: central</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ed sat on the porch, blowing listlessly at the strands of hair that fell in front of his eyes.</p><p>Winry had just dragged him out of the house by the back of his collar, as if he was a cat that could be picked up by the scruff of his neck. He was <em>still</em> not over that. But he did have to admit that he probably deserved it for bothering Winry while she was hard at work.</p><p>Al was giving Nina an awkwardly positioned piggyback ride, under Albedo's watchful gaze. It was a very serene picture, if a bit unusual, with the drifting clouds above them and the rolling hills in the backdrop. Ed smiled.</p><p>"Ah! Nina-"</p><p>
  <em>Clank.</em>
</p><p>A shift of her paw had resulted in Al's helmet being knocked off, revealing the interior… empty.</p><p>Ed's mouth opened.</p><p>Al's hold on Nina fumbled slightly.</p><p>Nina gasped.</p><p>Albedo nodded. "I thought so," he voiced quietly, almost inaudibly.</p><p>Ed turned to Albedo with wide eyes. Whatever reaction he had been expecting from Albedo regarding Alphonse's lack of a body, it had not been that calm and completely unphased demeanor. "What do you mean?"</p><p>"It was clear from the sound of Alphonse's steps, as well as the predicted density and weight of the armor based on its material and thickness, that the armor holds virtually no weight within it. Which could only mean that it is hollow." Albedo listed each observation as if it were as simple as fact, as widely known as the sky was blue or grass was green. "Of course, my predictions could have been wrong… but the possibility was unlikely. My hypothesis has been proven true with this, though."</p><p>Nina lifted and tapped her paw on Al's shoulder, the signal they'd come up with for him to let her down.</p><p>Al did it almost hesitantly. "Are you… scared of me?" he turned and asked her, still headless.</p><p>Nina fiercely shook her head, so much that the brown hair of her mane whipped back and forth across her face. She gently lifted a paw towards the helmet. "Brother Alphonse is still Brother," she said, before her nose— snout— scrunched up in distaste. She was quick to smooth out the quick wince, but not quick enough. Al may have already gone to grab his helmet, and Ed may have been worried about Al, but Albedo had noted the way she recoiled at the sound of her voice.</p><p>"Thank you, Nina," Al's glowy red eyes smiled. "Thank you. Could you go inside and give Winry some company?"</p><p>Ed watched with a warm gaze as Al used a large armor-leather hand to pet Nina's head. When Albedo came to stand next to him, he sighed, a great deep exhale that was too tired and weary.</p><p>"Nothing fazes you, does it?"</p><p>"Not much," Albedo responded truthfully. "But some things." Like Shou Tucker. Or like Klee's dangerous activities. Or Alice's even more dangerous activities. Or the Cavalry Captain's pranks. Or the Librarian's promiscuity. Or Sucrose's lab accidents.</p><p><em>Fascinating</em>, Albedo mused. <em>Mondstatdt almost seems like a setting made for the sole purpose of testing my composure.</em></p><p>"I guess we can't get out of this without explaining?" Ed hunched, and held his hand together, as if bracing himself. He almost seemed to have shrunk.</p><p>"... Not if you don't want to," Albedo finally said. "This <em>has </em>already revealed the soul-binding array you used. That is…" Albedo considered how to word it. "My curiosity isn't dispelled, but it has been sated."</p><p>And sated his curiosity was indeed. That circle was incredible. The eight pointed star, crudely drawn as it was, still included octagonal symmetry, ensuring the presence of eight kite shapes and eight right triangles, both of which were common stabilising elements of arrays. The rough inverted flamel in the center of the circle was impeccably placed and essentially affixed the volatile and detached soul to the armor. Add in the adhesion between the iron in the blood and the iron in the armor, as well as last minute calculations and supplemental arrays in the mind, and it was truly a stroke of genius.</p><p>Ed huffed. "You really are an odd guy, y'know. You could just say you want to know."</p><p>Albedo didn't grace that with a response.</p><p>Ed's sheepish rubbing of the back of the neck almost didn't match the distasteful scrunched up facial expression he had. With reluctance, as if every word took effort to vocalise, he said, "I… Al and I… I think we're fine with you knowing, in any case."</p><p>Al nodded. It was an oddly solemn and serious movement, compared to the usual carefree and almost childish gestures Al usually used. "I don't think we have any reason not to trust you," Al said softly. "You might have gotten a clue anyways, from…"</p><p>From when Shou Tucker had tried to justify what he'd done to Nina. When he'd said that he and Edward were the same, doomed to sacrifice for the sake of scientific progress. Admittedly, all of them had been so focused on Nina that Albedo hadn't had time to fully consider was Tucker had implied.</p><p>Human transmutation. An attempt to revive their mother.</p><p>Albedo got the clue. He nodded.</p><p>"I just…" Ed choked out. "We just wanted to see our mother again."</p><p>"Our father left us with a lot of books on alchemy," Al filled in where Ed was silent. "We found a teacher and spent a few years mastering alchemy with her. We thought we'd considered every angle. That nothing could go wrong."</p><p>"I was wrong," Ed spat. "We paid the price. I lost my arm and leg, and Al lost his entire body. I bound his soul to armor so I wouldn't lose him entirely."</p><p>Al shuddered. Every shake, the armor rattled, almost as if a strong wind had blown by, despite the air being almost deathly still. "I… didn't see what we created. But Brother…"</p><p>"It was a monster." Ed clenched his fists. "I don't know if it could be called human."</p><p>A silence settled between the three of them.</p><p>Albedo remembered the final tenet of alchemy in Amestris. <em>Do not create human life</em>. So they had broken the tenet, and were now State Alchemists… and likely hoped to use the resources of the military to restore their bodies. Logically, it was the most likely step forward, and Albedo knew it to be true even if the brother didn't say anything.</p><p>Interesting. Perhaps because Alchemy was rarer on Teyvat, and most literature was either locked up or forbidden, there were far fewer stories of accidents or mistakes that were as severe as the Elric Brothers'. Albedo knew first-hand, as a teacher himself, the dangers of Alchemy if not properly performed. But life was a complicated subject, and likely the only other people he had ever met who dealt with bioalchemy were Sucrose and some— very very few— Sumerun scholars.</p><p>A story like that of the Elric Brothers was a rarity. And that… interested Albedo.</p><p>Albedo acknowledged the small part of himself, like a tiny little crystalfly drowned by the light of day, that felt… sad. The brothers had met a fate that, although perhaps they somewhat deserved for their lack of knowledge and great hubris, was greatly unfair to alchemists as bright as them who had pure intentions.</p><p>"... So, now you know." Ed brushed the hair out of his face, sending Albedo a straightforward look. "This is mostly a… cautionary tale. You intend to restore Nina's body, don't you?"</p><p>When Albedo didn't respond for three seconds, Ed raised a fist, with a dark expression on his face. "If you don't…"</p><p>"Of course I do," Albedo said.</p><p>Ed calmed down a bit, sagging back into his seat on the porch steps. "Good. Well, human transmutation… it's forbidden for good reason."</p><p>Al nodded. "There are a lot of differences since then, such as Nina still being alive and your vast knowledge of biology. We know your alchemy is amazing… but we're only human after all. Please, please…" Al bowed his head. "Be careful."</p><p>That was where they were wrong… but they didn't need to know that. Albedo nodded, keeping the warning in his mind. <em>One should always assume that Alchemy, when done wrong, will backfire in the worst way possible</em>. This rule that he had learned appeared to be universal.</p><p>"I appreciate the warning," he thanked in his own way. "But if I may ask…. Did you have a catalyst when you performed your transmutation?"</p><p>"A catalyst?" Alphonse looked at Ed, who shrugged. "Like the philosopher's stone? Or like the silver pocketwatch?"</p><p>"I don't think so," Ed answered. "We did try using our own blood as a guide for the soul." He winced, as an image of the basement and the chalk-circle and the tub full of chemicals came unbidden to his mind.</p><p>Albedo was thinking more along the lines of items that had been infused with the energy of either Celestia or the ley lines. Objects that were beyond mortal comprehension and beyond most mortals' capacities to obtain. Things like parts of a Liyuen adeptus's body, or parts of a hyper-sentient or powerful being like a dragon. Even a gnosis, or part of an archon. These objects were almost like condensed physical representations of pure ley line energy aboveground. A single strand of hair from a Liyuen adeptus, depending on how powerful it was, could provide energy for hundreds, if not thousands of complex transmutations.</p><p>Then he realized that this wasn't Teyvat and archons and adepti and dragons didn't seem to exist here, and they would probably be greatly confused if he attempted to explain to them what a catalyst meant to Teyvat. Albedo held back the explanation. "Never mind. In any case, I believe I have an idea of why your reaction failed."</p><p>Ed and Al both rubbed their arms nervously. Something about the way Albedo spoke regarding the biggest mistake of their lives made them <em>very </em>uncomfortable.</p><p>"I don't doubt that the body-creation aspect of the circle was well done… Given your current alchemy skills, you would have more than enough ability to accurately recreate a human body… But the soul array must have been difficult to fit inside a circle as well. Lacking a powerful catalyst, it would likely be impossible to keep the soul anchored for long enough… and the reaction would have to consider cooling after the thermal energy release of the reaction's occurrence anyways…"</p><p><em>Ah</em>. Ed and Al realized simultaneously. <em>It's the way he treats it like a failed experiment. Clinical. Cold. Calculating.</em></p><p>He didn't seem to be considering the horrifying price it had cost them and the pain they had both gone through because of it. Albedo didn't treat it as a mistake never to be repeated, but like a minor setback in an experiment. A failed trial, as it were.</p><p>It sickened Ed.</p><p>"Do you…" His teeth clenched. "You don't seem to understand. We lost almost everything because of that transmutation. And you're treating it like, like an experiment." What, did Albedo have a heart of steel? Was he <em>human</em>?</p><p>Albedo paused. He opened his mouth to say something. And then closed it.</p><p>"I…" Albedo looked down. "I apologize."</p><p>Ed threw up his arms. He was too tired to be angry right now. He stormed back into the house, every loud step ringing out into the silence between the three of them.</p><p>"Sorry," Al said. "The transmutation… it means a lot to us," he tried to explain. "On some level, I guess… we're also scared that it would have… been possible to bring her back. We just failed." <em>And they'd have to live with that guilt for the rest of their lives</em>, went unsaid.</p><p>A silence fell between them again.</p><p>".. You don't have to answer this if you don't want," Al prefaced, "but… can you understand how we felt? Do you think… you'd try the same if you lost someone dear to you?"</p><p>Albedo thought. There was Alice, who took him in with no questions and gave him more warmth over a week than his master had over Albedo's entire life; there was Klee, who was a blazing ball of sunshine that took up half his time. And there was Rhinedottir, who… well, once upon a time, losing Rhinedottir had been his greatest fear and worst nightmare.</p><p>And it had happened. Rhinedottir had disappeared. It had been Klee's endless energy and the ceaseless tireless work of being the Knights of Favonius's Chief Alchemist that pulled him away from any notions of something irreversible, as well as the knowledge that he was, in the end, a shadow of his master. He would have nowhere to begin, for he, his knowledge, and the scant memories that Alice had were all that was left of Rhinedottir now.</p><p>"... No." Albedo replied. "Maybe, once upon a time," he looked off with a faraway gaze, "but not now."</p><p>Al knew that look. He saw it all the time, all too often on people he knew. "Have you already… lost someone dear to you?"</p><p>Albedo took out the twig from his pocket that he liked to fidget with. But even fidgeting in this case was using what <em>she</em> had taught him, just as everything he did every day reminded him of her somehow.</p><p>"Once." Albedo finally said. "I probably… would've given anything to see her again."</p><p>When Albedo didn't elaborate, Al sat quietly next to him.</p><p>"She was my master— alchemy teacher," he continued with a wistful gaze.</p><p>Why was he saying anything? This wasn't the Traveler, or Timaeus, or Sucrose; only the Traveler had ever gotten close to uncovering all of Albedo's past. But… in this place, this peaceful picturesque home where there was nothing but the rustling of the wind-touched trees and his own deafeningly loud thoughts, he almost felt compelled to speak.</p><p>Social obligation? No. Maybe. Albedo didn't know. He hated when he didn't know.</p><p>"Can you… tell me more about her?" Al asked softly.</p><p>Albedo hesitantly obliged. "She was amazing. The best of her craft. She never cared about gaining a reputation among the best scholars, and quietly did research as she travelled."</p><p>A flick of his wrist, and the twig regrew into a branch with leaves.</p><p>"She taught me everything I know about alchemy. The alchemy of life." <em>Khemia</em>, he didn't say, because he didn't know if the art existed in this world.</p><p>A flick of the wrist, and the branch dispersed into golden sparks, leaving behind only a twig again.</p><p>"She was… cold. And strict. She used to give me these very difficult assignments, and said she'd leave if I didn't complete them."</p><p>A flick of the wrist and a branch of leaves.</p><p>"I did all of them. Perfectly, even. I wanted nothing more than to travel with her. She… " Albedo paused, as if he couldn't quite find the right words for it. Staring off into the distance, with his lips parted, he was completely still. "She raised me."</p><p><em>His own face stared back at him from glass, curved glass, the glass of a culture tank. "This… is new life," Rhinedottir breathed, with an expression of fascination that Albedo didn't know at the time, but would come to very very rarely see.</em> She was the source of Albedo's life, the source of everything Albedo was. He couldn't simply explain that. So he didn't.</p><p>A flick of the wrist and a twig once more.</p><p>"After the last big discovery we made… she left me a letter and disappeared."</p><p>He put the twig back in his pocket.</p><p>"I… haven't seen her since," he finally looked up.</p><p>Al looked back at him patiently, maybe sadly, with that unreadable glowing red gaze.</p><p>"The truth of the world," he let the familiar phrase, one he'd mused on plenty during the Traveler's journey, sit on his tongue. "What could it be?"</p><p>She had left him with life. With the greatest feasible alchemic catalyst they had ever discovered. With a letter and instructions to go to Mondstadt. She'd left him at his own devices in a nation of <em>people</em>, the one thing Albedo had never understood and never would understand. He should have been sad, or angry, or a combination of the two, but he just felt empty.</p><p>Inside the house, Ed sat behind the door, with his legs drawn in and an uncharacteristic hunch.</p><p>The house wasn't soundproof.</p><hr/><p>Albedo had reordered and recorded every circle he needed to create a body for Nina. Everything he knew had been taken into account. Everything that Rhinedottir had taught him, strewn throughout the pages and pages of text and circles. There was no room for error.</p><p>This would have been more doable on Teyvat. There, where catalysts existed, equivalent exchange as Amestris knew it was probably broken every day in alchemy. Because immortal beings and those with connections to Celestia existed, their catalyst-powered reactions still had to be balanced, such that the energy from whatever catalyst they used was equivalent to what the reaction needed to accomplish.</p><p>He silently lamented the lack of possible catalysts in Amestris. With no clear catalyst, the detail that he could consider when dealing with the soul-migration array was limited. It was a fact that souls did not attach for long to bodies that they weren't naturally situated in, and were especially fickle because of this. Albedo had to make sure that, whatever catalyst he used, it would have enough energy to stabilize the adhesion of Nina's soul for the lifespan of a human.</p><p>Which was why, unfortunately, his own heart and blood could not be used.</p><p>He'd considered it. Of course he'd considered it; it was the only other feasible option on this world besides the philosopher's stone that he knew of right now. But…</p><p>The Heart of Naberius was meant for use on Teyvat. Its strength lied in the strong connection it had to Celestia, and if that connection was absent, then it was subpar as a catalyst, especially for something as volatile as soul-binding.</p><p>Which meant that the only other option right now was the Philosopher's Stone. A substance that did not exist on Teyvat, but according to the Traveler and different scriptures, likely existed in varying forms over different worlds. Albedo didn't know what form it took in this world, and this uncertainty was his current roadblock.</p><p>Albedo let out one of his rare sighs, silently wishing that he could have one of Sucrose's candies for their amplifying effect on productivity and general efficiency. He supposed he missed the melt-on-your-tongue morsels she used to bring to his desk once a week as a result of her sweet flower propagation experiments.</p><p>Nina walked over to where Albedo sat still, next to the table. "Brother's busy?"</p><p>Albedo smiled. He could at least give her good news. "I've figured out most of what we need. You'll be able to have a human body again, Nina."</p><p>Nina gasped, eyes widened and jaw hanging open. "Really?"</p><p>Albedo didn't miss the way she recoiled at her own voice again. She'd gotten better at masking it though; the cringe on her face was now a lot more subtle.</p><p>He nodded. "There's one thing I'm missing, but the rest should be attainable. We'll just have to keep looking for that one thing. It's what Edward and Alphonse are looking for too, so you'll even get to spend more time with them."</p><p>He didn't tell her that the brothers had been looking for it for years. He didn't tell her that he didn't know how long it would take before she could have her body back again. He probably should have. But he'd seen the spark, the light of joy in her eyes again, and he just couldn't bring himself to say so.</p><p>If he couldn't find a catalyst... he could surely make one. And if he couldn't make one, he'd find a way.</p><p>This, he promised. Both to Nina and himself.</p><p>Nina looked happy. But then she opened her mouth to say something, and before any sound could come out, snapped it shut immediately.</p><p>Albedo frowned. "Nina. What's wrong?"</p><p>She shook her head.</p><p>Albedo cocked his head. "Alright then," he said with a smile. Strategy number one with kids: make everything into a game. "Let's see if I can guess in three tries what's making you unhappy." There was an ever-so-slight lilt in his voice that was just barely readable as amusement.</p><p>Nina's eyebrows, which had been drawn together, loosened some. She tilted her head questioningly.</p><p>"Hungry?" Albedo guessed, holding up one finger.</p><p>She shook her head, this time more playfully, letting the hair of her mane flit across her face.</p><p>"Then…" Albedo pretended to think hard. "Tired?"</p><p>Nina shook her head again.</p><p>"That's not it?" Albedo asked, feigning surprise. "Then what could it be?"</p><p>She laughed. As much as she could without vocalising it, anyways— she exhaled forcefully, smiling.</p><p>Albedo smiled. He was glad he could lift her mood some. "Alright, alright. Is it… because you don't like your voice?"</p><p>Nina hesitantly nodded. She wondered how Albedo would take it. If she'd ever complained much to Father that man, he'd always wave her off, saying he was busy. And Albedo <em>had</em> to be busy, from the way he kept looking at those books almost unblinkingly.</p><p>"Well…" Albedo frowned. "We can't have that."</p><p>Nina's voice was key to her communication, given that her fingers didn't have the dexterity to write— yet. Albedo considered. It was incredibly unideal for her to be unable to communicate if they were going to be travelling together for a while. He couldn't be attentive to her needs if she couldn't voice them, after all.</p><p>But how could he fix her voice?</p><p>A direct transmutation of her voice box, to make it sound more like her original voice? But it was risky. Again, with Nina, there was absolutely <em>no room for error</em>. Especially so if he was going to transform a part of her current body. This was <em>risky</em>.</p><p>He needed information. He needed to know exactly how the voice box should look, and how he could reshape it without causing unnecessary harm to her. He couldn't take the risk of deconstruction and reconstruction here; he needed every step to be absolutely <em>seamless</em>. No time or space between the steps of deconstruction and reconstruction, such that it would simulate more of a transformation than a transmutation.</p><p>Albedo paced as he considered the transformation.</p><p>"Books. I need medical books," he finally said, walking purposefully towards the Rockbells' workshops, where both Winry and Pinako were.</p><p>Meanwhile, Nina watched, bewildered.</p><hr/><p>The next few days found Albedo buried in stacks upon stacks of the Rockbells' medical books relating to human and canine anatomy.</p><p>As Pinako set the table with a few bowls of stew, Winry shouted. "Ed! Albedo! Nina! It's dinnertime!"</p><p>When all had gathered at the table except for one, and Ed was already shoveling spoonfuls into his mouth, Pinako cocked an eyebrow. "Where's Albedo?"</p><p>"Reading," Ed grumbled between large bites that made his cheeks bulge like a chipmunk's. "Still hasn't been out of that room in days."</p><p>Pinako sighed. So it was another one of those types of alchemists. There was no helping it. "Winry," she passed her granddaughter the extra bowl of stew. "Go give this to him, would you?"</p><p>So there Winry was, outside the guest room that they'd lent to Albedo for the time being, and…</p><p>She couldn't bring herself to move or to speak.</p><p>Albedo's hand waved around a cloud of dust particles that had configured themselves in the air above his hand in a perfect translucent model of the larynx and surrounding muscles and bones. The particles themselves drifted lightly in the air, moving as one with the contractions of a muscle.</p><p>It seemed almost unreal to Winry. She imagined that if she'd ever seen snow, it might look like those particles. They lingered in the air, rising every so slightly, then dipping back down to be brought back up by a slight golden glow. The way that he reordered the particles smoothly and effortlessly with a gesture of his hand. "Then… a developing second layer in the lamina propria…"</p><p>Winry could just barely discern the particles that thickened near the glottis, where the vocal folds were.</p><p>Open on one side of Albedo's desk was one of the thickest anatomy tomes Winry's parents had left behind. On the other, there was a cross-referenced photo-realistic drawing of Nina from the neck up.</p><p>"Commencing trial 11.3-2L."</p><p>Winry watched, anticipation making her body tense. The dust particles within the structure came to life, vibrated, almost as if excited, and the simulated vocal folds closed.</p><p>"Frequency still slightly too low," Albedo noted. "Then the adjusted layer needs to be compensated with a slight decrease in length…" His mumbles descended into something quick and almost incoherent, teal eyes locked on the results page of his journal with an intense gaze as his hand recorded notes, flying across the page to catch up to his voice.</p><p>The dust floating above his hand calmed once more.</p><p>"Um…" Winry hated to interrupt. "Albedo?"</p><p>The alchemist almost seemed startled, though it could have been a trick of the light. The dust particles that had been held so nonchalantly in the air were suddenly weighed down by gravity again, and the model of the larynx that had precariously floated in the air fell apart, the dust falling and kicking up a cloud of more dust on impact with the table.</p><p>Winry hurriedly placed the bowl of soup at the foot of the door. "Ah! I'm so sorry for interrupting," she stammered. "Dinner was ready and you weren't there, so Granny—"</p><p>"Thank you," Albedo nodded. Without saying any more, he turned back to the notes on his desk.</p><p>Winry let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she gently closed the door.</p><p>"I think… I understand why Ed and Al are so amazed by him," she breathed out to herself.</p><hr/><p>He tested it <em>countless times</em>. He knew exactly how many trials he'd done, how many times he'd simulated the throat using the dirt, the source of all life, and fine-tuned the details of the transmutation.</p><p>There was no room for error. Not when dealing with airflow, something integral to Nina's continued living. But Albedo was <em>certain</em> he'd considered everything. He'd simulated every little tweak, every little change, gotten his alchemical reaction rate to the fastest it could be to prevent Nina any harm.</p><p>But…</p><p>"Nina," he said, after he finally came out of the room, putting the books he'd borrowed back on their rightful shelves. "I figured out how to change your voice. Do you want to have your old voice back?"</p><p>Nina nodded. Of course she did.</p><p>"Even if it might be scary? Even if I use alchemy?"</p><p>Nina hesitantly nodded again.</p><p>"Are you sure? Do you trust me to do this right?"</p><p>When she didn't move, Albedo was prepared to flip to the next empty page in his journal, and not revisit the several he'd filled with notes and calculations and test results. If she didn't want him to do it, then he would respect it.</p><p>But then she opened her mouth. "I trust… Brother," she said slowly. "I want… I want <em>my </em>voice back."</p><p>Albedo promised her silently that he would do this right.</p><p>"Miss Winry," he popped his head into the garage, where sounds of mechanical tinkering filled the air. "Does this house have any anesthetic?"</p><hr/><p>There was no mistaking the fizz of volatile alchemy in the air. Metaphorically shaken from his absentminded dozing off, Ed's eyes snapped open. Both he and Al were both in the same room, so it had to be Albedo.</p><p>And like <em>hell </em>was Ed going to let Albedo do anything to Nina.</p><p>He slammed his door open, dashing straight for Albedo's room, fumbling every other step with the rough spare leg he was still using. Al's armor clanked as he followed behind Ed.</p><p>The door rattled, locked. Ed's heart stopped. He'd said he trusted Albedo, but this…</p><p>A deep-seated dread planted itself in the pit of his stomach. Nausea overcame him. Had he made another mistake?</p><p>"<em>Albedo</em>!" he screamed, pounding the door as hard as he could with his one flesh arm. "What the hell are you doing?!"</p><p>The crackle of alchemy. The blue-gold light that hadn't stopped flickering beneath the crack of the door since they'd gotten there. The silence of both Albedo <em>and </em>Nina. Ed could see the stormy sky, the manic look beneath Tucker's glasses, the cold and desolate basement lab.</p><p>"Damnit Albedo, <em>let me in!</em>'</p><p>The alchemic light died down, and the crackling quieted into residual pops of static in the air.</p><p>Was he too late? Was Nina...</p><p>"Brother, stand back," Al said.</p><p>Ed wordlessly did as Al asked.</p><p>"Sorry, Winry and Granny!" Al shouted, as he rammed the entire weight of his armor into the door, which was not made to withstand such force.</p><p>With a loud <em>bang</em>, the lock popped apart, and the door slammed open. The hinges complained with a loud and shrill <em>creak</em>, but it didn't matter as the two boys charged into the room, where the remains of an elaborate circle drawn in chalk had been scattered and smudged slightly. And in the middle of it sat Albedo, gently cradling a still Nina's head with an expression the boys had never seen before.</p><p>The terror of ten thousand was clear in his wide eyes and drawn eyebrows, in the tightly pressed lips.</p><p>Ed assumed the worst.</p><p>Because as much as he was afraid that Albedo had done something to Nina, even Ed had to admit that in conflict with that, Albedo cared about Nina. Cared <em>a lot</em> about Nina. And if Albedo was so worried about Nina, so scared for her, then...</p><p>"You…" He stomped over to Albedo, who hadn't moved, and still had two fingers on Nina's neck.</p><p>Ed grabbed a fistful of Albedo's blue shirt with an iron grip, and glared straight into his eyes with the intense gaze of the blazing sun, threatening to incinerate Albedo on the spot with only a look. "What have you done to Nina?"</p><p>Albedo didn't look at his eyes though. His unnatural teal gaze was still affixed to a point behind Edward, where in the circle, Nina laid still. Because he had almost no doubt that it had gone perfectly, but what if it hadn't and Nina...</p><p>Then, Albedo's eyes finally lost the terror that outlined them, replaced with something akin to relief.</p><p>"... Brother?" Nina called out weakly.</p><p>Al gasped.</p><p>"Nina! Your voice!"</p><p>Ed unceremoniously dropped Albedo to the ground and turned to Nina.</p><p>"My voice… my voice…" it was slightly raspy, almost hoarse. But it was undeniably <em>hers</em>, with the exact pitch, the precise timbre it had once been.</p><p>She coughed.</p><p>"Water!" Al shouted. "We need a cup of water, water, water…" he trailed off, rushing out of the room with clanking metal armor to grab water for Nina.</p><p>"My voice!" Nina shouted, regardless of how her throat tingled with mild discomfort. "I have my voice back!" She tried clumsily to sit up with her four limbs, fumbling. She couldn't tell if she was shaking from the pure adrenaline of having her voice back again, or from how weak her arms and legs felt from the anesthetic Albedo had given her beforehand.</p><p>Her head still felt woozy.</p><p><em>Please, please</em>, she silently begged to whatever higher power may exist in the world. <em>Please let this not be a dream. Please let this be real.</em></p><p>"Brother?" She said, as Ed knelt down next to her.</p><p>"You're… Are you okay, Nina?"</p><p>Nina smiled as best she could with the face she had. "I am. I am. I…" she choked again, on tears that were too familiar, but were this time for a much happier occasion. "Thank you." She couldn't say it enough. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Brother Albedo!"</p><p>Ed took a big sigh of relief, letting all the tension in him dispel. All at once, everything relaxed, and Ed was left taking repeated gasps and sighs, waiting for the pounding of his heart to slow down.</p><p>All the while, Nina jumped around them, tail wagging uncontrollably and had not stopped speaking. "Brother! Brother, Brother, Brother fixed my voice," she kept repeating.</p><p>Al rushed back into the room with the glass of water.</p><p>And Albedo thought.</p><p>If he could, if he didn't feel so fatigued from using internal alchemy to get every detail of the larynx and the vocal fold correct, he would pull out his sketchbook.</p><p>Because this moment, this one snapshot in time, this little slice of happiness… With Al giving Nina a cup of water and Ed trying to hold back tears of joy and Nina, Nina humming and speaking every second she could get,</p><p>He wished it could be immortalized.</p><hr/><p>With her voice back, Nina was more verbose than ever. Among the sounds of machinery and tinkering in the workshops, Nina's voice became a common fixture in the Rockbell house. If she wasn't talking to someone else, then she was humming a song, or singing, or talking to herself.</p><p>If they ever had any doubt on their minds before, then by now, it had disintegrated.</p><p>Albedo would surely be the one to turn Nina back into a human. And on some level, Ed and Al were beyond grateful that Albedo's terrifying knowledge of alchemy would be able to help Nina, but…</p><p>"Restoring an entire body is different from rearranging and adjusting the larynx to change her voice," Ed said to the alchemists gathered at the table. "I don't know <em>how </em>you did it without invoking Truth and human transmutation, but you'd <em>better</em> have a fucking plan for when you try to bring her back."</p><p>"Truth?" Albedo cocked an eyebrow curiously.</p><p>Al also seemed confused from the way he looked at Ed. Ed's face scrunched up in something akin to displeasure or frustration.</p><p>"I keep forgetting you haven't seen it, Al…" he grumbled under his breath. "I don't suppose Albedo has either… even I'm not sure it actually exists…"</p><p>Before the silence between them stretched awkwardly long, Ed cleared his throat. "Anyways!" He shouted with false gung-ho, before glaring fiercely at Albedo. "We, Al and I… do know some human transmutation, given…"</p><p>The fierce glare faded immediately like a fire doused with water, but Ed continued. "... we'll help where we can. So let us know what you're planning."</p><p>Albedo nodded.</p><p>A little swirling something inside him told him to say, as sincerely as he could make it seem, "Thank you, Edward. Alphonse." The warmth in his chest grew once more, and Albedo quashed it with memories of Dragonspine Mountain and the frostbites that numbed his fingers and toes. They were acquaintances; coworkers at best, and he refused to let this warmth challenge his professionalism and rationality, when he hadn't ever given those up even for Sucrose and Timaeus.</p><p>"Then," he began, "the plan is to make a body and transfer her soul to it."</p><p>As Ed and Al, who looked simultaneously awe-struck and horrified, let this information sink in, Albedo took their silence as a sign to continue.</p><p>He withdrew and unfolded a few pieces of folded paper from his pocket: Tucker's notes. Ed immediately glared at it as if it had personally offended him, and it might as well have. He was tempted to throw those papers into the compost and burn them himself.</p><p>Albedo spoke. "Based on what I've found of these… it would likely be simpler to give her a new body. He…" here Albedo took a deep breath to again dampen the rage that grew within him at the thought of the man. "...Tucker created the chimera by deconstructing the bodies of both Nina and Alexander down to the molecular level and reconstructing them seamlessly."</p><p>"Then now that they're combined—" Ed's eyes were calculating, but still burnt with an undercurrent of anger and a slight hint of guilt, sadness, shame, or a combination of these. "Discerning which is which would be virtually impossible at the molecular level, given their physiological similarities."</p><p>Al nodded. "So then the only other way would be to create a new body altogether," he hummed. "That's…"</p><p>"Yeah, Al." Ed's single flesh hand gripped the tablecloth so strongly that his knuckles paled. "That's very similar to what we tried." He looked at Albedo, a look of despair and hope both clashing on his face. "You— you know how to do this, right? How to do this correctly?"</p><p>'<em>My master created </em>me<em>, a fully functioning and growing life form that is human in almost every way, shape, and form,'</em> he didn't say. '<em>She taught me everything I know and everything she knows or knew, and that includes the near-extinct secrets of Khemia, the art that has created me,'</em> he couldn't say.</p><p>He settled instead for a nod. "I do."</p><p>"Hold on," Al cut in. "If Nina's and Alexander's bodies were so physiologically similar… would it be possible to transmute the rest of her body to be human again? Like you did for her voice."</p><p>The brothers watched apprehensively as Albedo put a hand up to his chin in consideration.</p><p>But it was not in consideration of whether or not it could be done, but rather what to tell the boys. Because if Albedo said to them that changing bone structure, changing skin and hair follicles and blood vessels and everything was perhaps too difficult with the extra mass that had to be discarded for this to work, he would be lying— somewhat. It was difficult, but not too difficult; nothing in alchemy was ever <em>too</em> difficult for Albedo.</p><p>But he <em>had</em> considered the possibility before, of simply trying to transform Nina back, and with absolutely no room for error, in a single trial… well, he didn't want to take a risk with Nina's current body.</p><p>There was also the fact that it might hurt Nina. That the transformation all at once might be too much for her, even with anesthetic. That she again might feel the pain she once already had and had never deserved. Albedo knew, from the way she had hesitated to allow him to fix her voice, that Nina harbored a… severe aversion to alchemy, especially on herself. And Albedo didn't <em>ever</em> want to subject her to it unnecessarily.</p><p>But was migrating her soul any better? She wouldn't feel physical pain from the transition, given that the soul would not have a body to feel pain from, but having one's soul ripped from their body could not be spiritually healthy. And that was exactly what Albedo was proposing at the moment.</p><p>"I've considered it," Albedo finally answered. "It was the first thing I thought about."</p><p>The brothers waited for him to continue.</p><p>"But with Nina, how complicated her current body is, and my lack of access to her interior organs, my precision might fail me. I would only have one chance. And if I fail…" Albedo closed a hand around the twig in his pocket, an anchor for his turbulent thoughts. "I cannot fail. There is no room for error."</p><p>Ed gravely nodded. "That's true.</p><p>Albedo this time withdrew his notebook. "I have everything prepared already. The necessary circles and calculations, detailing everything from the shape of her eyes to the capillaries in her toes. The benefit of creating a body first is that without a soul, the body itself should be inactive and safe to inspect beforehand for function and form before the soul is placed in it."</p><p>Ed gazed greedily at the leather-bound pages in Albedo's grasp. Albedo had to admit that Ed hid his thirst for knowledge relatively well, compared to someone like Sucrose who was constantly eyeing his journal almost hungrily, but without the courage or initiative to take it directly from Albedo. He was certain Sucrose had at least snuck a few peeks at it when he was absent, though.</p><p>"Before you ask, I'd prefer not to share my notes with either of you," Albedo clarified. Of course he wasn't going to share his master's knowledge with just anyone.</p><p>Ed slouched minutely at that, but quickly straightened himself. "Makes sense," he admitted. "If you're ready though, why haven't you don't anything? You didn't wait to change Nina's voice— I can't imagine you'd wait to give her her body back."</p><p>Albedo held back a sigh. The setback. "The Philosopher's Stone," he said. The catalyst.</p><p>"Same as us, then…" Al looked nervous. "I guess it <em>was </em>needed for a successful human transmutation."</p><p>"Seems like we'll be searching for the same thing then," Ed leaned back in his chair. "Me and Al for our bodies, and you for Nina."</p><p>Albedo nodded, a rare smile taking its place on his face. "Indeed. It appears we shall have to stay travel companions for a while."</p><p>"Then where to next?" Al asked.</p><p>Ed shrugged. "The Colonel Bastard hasn't given me anything yet. Didn't you want to go to Central, Albedo?"</p><p>"Yes," Albedo hummed. He still needed a new sword.</p><p>"Then it's decided," Ed grinned. Things were looking up. They had Albedo to help them, and Nina was safe. "To Central!"</p><hr/><p>The night was silent except for the occasional chirp of a cricket. By now, Alphonse had learnt how to stay completely still, such that his armor wouldn't rattle accidentally in the middle of the night and awaken his brother— not that Ed could be awoken by anything short of a catastrophe though.</p><p>He could hear Ed sigh from the bed.</p><p>Which meant Ed was still awake.</p><p>"Brother, you should sleep," Al whispered.</p><p>"I know, Al." Ed's voice didn't sound tired though.</p><p>"Are you worried?"</p><p>There was silence again. Ed shifted in his bed. Al didn't move.</p><p>"Where did that come from?" Ed did a good job of masking it, but Al wasn't his brother for nothing. Al could hear the slightest waver, the nervousness that the confident voice belied.</p><p>And Al was nervous too. "Because Albedo plans to create a new body altogether for Nina and it's too similar to what we tried and I don't know if he can actually do it." Al twiddled his thumbs, letting himself move. "And… I don't know if I want him to succeed or fail or if either is good."</p><p>"Ah," Ed hummed, in the tone that Al could tell meant Ed knew exactly what Al was talking about.</p><p>He was silent.</p><p>"Do you…" Al paused. "Do you think our bodies are unrecoverable? Like Nina's?"</p><p>Ed shifted in his bed again. "... I don't know, Al. But I think the situations are different. Tucker didn't sacrifice Nina's body at all for the reaction," Ed's face scrunched up distastefully, "but he must have sacrificed something if he transmuted her. I think it was… Alexander's soul. Based on the notes Albedo showed us."</p><p>Al's red eyes dimmed. "Then because Nina's physical body is still here, just changed…"</p><p>"Yeah." Ed sighed. "We have no way of knowing if our bodies are still recoverable or not."</p><p>They fell into a peaceful silence again.</p><p>"...Hey, Brother? Do you think Albedo will do it? Successfully, I mean."</p><p>"He'll do it. Successfully… I don't know." Ed laughed humorlessly. "I think… with Nina still here and alive, and his alchemy, and the philosopher's stone…"</p><p>"He'll be able to. With the philosopher's stone, anything is possible" Al finished. "I hope he does. For Nina. But…"</p><p>"Yeah." Ed grit his teeth. "The amount of power he has… it's almost terrifying."</p><p><em>If we had that power, we maybe could have properly brought back our mother</em>, neither of them said, even though both of them thought it. <em>We wouldn't have messed up and turned our mother into a monster.</em></p><p>They both fell silent.</p><p>"I don't think he's a bad person though," Al finally said. Albedo was cold, and distant, and the most aloof person either of them had ever seen… but Al was sure that Albedo was a good person. He wouldn't try so hard to help Nina or look at her in such genuine affection if he wasn't. He wouldn't have agreed to teach Al how to draw or shown them his alchemy if he wasn't.</p><hr/><p>Ed gave his new arm a few experimental swings. The metal clicks and clinks inside it of moving cogs and pistons was familiar. The weight on his shoulder would take a bit of getting used to after the shoulder being weightless for the past week and a half, but Ed was glad to have his automail back again.</p><p>After a customary spar with Al, he patted off the dust from his hands— and transmuted his arm back to normal before Winry came out and threw a wrench at his poor head. "Looks like we're ready!" His trunk was all packed and ready. "Albedo? Nina?"</p><p>"Coming!" Nina shouted from the house. She bounded out the door beside Albedo, full of enthusiasm. "We're going to Central, right? I don't think I've ever been in Central! What's it like? I've heard that Central Command looks like a castle!"</p><p>Ed grinned, leaning down to tousle the hair on her head, which had been pulled back to not obstruct her eyes. "It is! Central is <em>huge</em>, you know? Are you ready to go see it?"</p><p>Nina nodded. "Brother Albedo! Hurry up!" Her tail wagged excitedly.</p><p>"Yes, yes," Albedo said as he walked down the porch steps. Nina's endless excitement was an absolute joy to see, perhaps on par or even better than the ethereal moment of birth when the otherworldly flower he'd found on Dragonspine mountain had unfurled its petals and bloomed. Nina's smile, though not human in appearance, was familiar and calming compared to her state previously, when she was almost despondent.</p><p>As with Klee's abundant enthusiasm, Albedo let it play out. A child's curiosity and excitement was healthy to have, and Albedo had long since learned that few things could actually quell it. So he would guide it if he had to, and let it run its course otherwise.</p><p>This time, in the much more rural train station, with no actual train attendants to regulate it, Albedo had no trouble getting Nina a seat next to them. "It'll be a much longer ride to Central," he said to her, "so you might as well sleep while you can."</p><p>Of course, with all the excitement she'd built up, she couldn't sleep. So she whined. "Ehhhh?" she stretched it out, pouting the best she could. "How long will it take then?"</p><p>Albedo huffed in amusement at her antics. She was certainly in great spirits. "Twice as long as it took to get from East City to here," he answered, again amused by the way she sagged as if betrayed by the train and time itself.</p><p>"Fine…" she grumbled. "But if I'm sleeping, you need to sing that song for me again!"</p><p>Now was Albedo's turn to frown. "That song?"</p><p>"Yeah! That pretty one that you sang when I fell asleep before you fixed my voice. I like it a lot! And your voice is really pretty!"</p><p>Albedo sighed.</p><p>"And if I do this you'll promise to sleep?"</p><p>Nina nodded fiercely. "Promise! Pinky promise, even!"</p><p>Well.</p><p>Albedo had also learned long ago to choose his battles wisely with kids. So, uncertainly, he started humming.</p><p>Nina leaned her head on his shoulder.</p><p>
  <em>The crescendo of the harp that the bard Venti had so often played with his hand waving like the cecilias over the strings, the decrescendo as it rose and fell and then rose again, the lilt of a melody of wonder filled the air. The traveler's at first wavering hum began, uncertain, small, and quiet.</em>
</p><p>It was a melody Albedo had heard countless times around campfires, on the quiet snowy nights of Dragonspine Mountain.</p><p>
  <em>Venti plucked the strings with a soft but quick trill at the end of the Traveler's first melody, which had trailed off at a high note, waiting to be continued. Venti played with an encouraging smile at the Traveler, who repeated the tune again, louder. The crackling of the campfire no longer drowned the tune, which rose, gloriously, into the stars, before another trill brought it dipping lower, lower, and lower. But the crescendo, and the hopeful step up in the tune, had opened the floodgates.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Traveler was all but gone, head among the stars as they opened their mouth and sang, carrying the ethereal tune through the night. A voice strong yet beautiful like a violin sang a crescendo and decrescendo, up to a bright peak, every note building on the one before it before a sigh, a decrescendo and ritardando brough the melody to a slow and serene end.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>In the residual silence behind the melody, the familiar soft hum of the beginning tune repeated once more, a soft epilogue that retraced a warm and familiar beginning, this time, ending.</em>
</p><p>Albedo closed his eyes and hummed, the familiar tune sitting unbidden on his tongue— one of the first melodies he'd heard and listened to and enjoyed. Mondstadt was a city of freedom, full of music and bards and countless songs… but never had a song so perfectly conveyed the wonder of discovery and exploration as the one the Traveler would sing for them.</p><p>He could only hope that he could do it justice with his own voice.</p><p>Nina nodded along to the tune. It had touched her heart when she first heard it. She surely wouldn't fall asleep to it… but just hearing it was enough to set her heart at ease.</p><p>The brothers watched.</p><p>They couldn't help but feel like they were intruding on a personal moment, but in that moment, they could only watch, captivated by Albedo's song.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>;v; genshin main theme is really really pretty guys idk if i did it justice with this description! but i hc it as something only the Traveler knew when they came to the world, and just happened to spread around the world while travelling</p><p>OK so i know i promised central last chapter but i had so many plansssss (like im only 1/3 up to how much I was planning for this chapter and it's already at the 8k cap i usually put on my chapters) central will definitely be next chapter though!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Haha sorry this falls a bit short of my usual 8k chapters! I wanted to put something out since I felt bad for uploading slowly. I hope you enjoy this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The train stopped to drop off passengers at a town somewhere between Resembool and Central. Albedo reckoned, based on the map he had folded between the pages of his journal, that by now they were close to East City, but probably not going to stop there.</p><p>He neatly folded the map and tucked it into his journal again, returning to a half-finished sketch of the Elric brothers. Alphonse gazed out the window while Edward leaned on his shoulder, unceremoniously draped over the train's cushioned bench like a languid cat.</p><p>Drawing people had always had a layer of depth that drawing plants lacked— their complex emotions could be changed by even the slightest tilt of the mouth or repositioning of the eyebrows.</p><p>Now was a good chance, in any case. Albedo had hardly known Edward for two weeks, but he was almost certain that Edward would only be stationary enough to draw if the boy was either reading or sleeping. In this latter case, while Edward was unconscious, he also lost the intense sort of gaze in his eyes that made Albedo feel…</p><p>A little flickering indignance, but also a taut cord that might snap at any second if Albedo touched it. Wariness. Albedo felt as if he was being pitied and yet scrutinized at the same time.</p><p>It was in no way Edward's fault that he felt this way— Albedo's… emotions, he supposed he could call them… were his own responsibility. Albedo had made a choice to reveal to the brothers his past, and show them parts of himself that weren't typical of this world, and this was the result of that. A simple cause and effect. A hypothesis and result. It was a logical consequence.</p><p>Albedo inwardly sighed, staying still outwardly as Nina was still leaning on his shoulder and he didn't wish to jostle her with an intake of breath that was unnecessary for him.</p><p>Alphonse was just as still as Albedo, with the exception of his quietly twiddling thumbs. There was a silence between them that wasn't uncomfortable per se, but wasn't the kind of easy quiet that it would have been had Al been here alone with Ed.</p><p>Well. Now was as good a time as any. "Alphonse. Would you like to begin learning how to draw?" Albedo offered quietly.</p><p>Alphonse looked up from his thumbs. The red glowing eyes were as always, unreadable to Albedo. It was almost a jarring contrast to the hopeful and surprised "hm?" that followed.</p><p>Almost as if he'd registered Albedo's words a bit late, Alphonse paused before nodding enthusiastically. "Yes! Where do we begin?"</p><p>"I suppose… would plants be a good start?" Albedo hummed. "Still life is often an apt precursor for harder subjects, as it gives the artist a foundation in accuracy and composition." He flipped through his notebook, one of many that he had brought along with him on his travels, and unfortunately, the only one he had access to currently. The others were likely tucked away into his shelf back in Mondstadt.</p><p>Alphonse reached somewhere on his armor to procure a journal and pencil, and set it gently down on his lap. "So… how do I begin?"</p><p>"Unfortunately we don't have a live reference with us at the moment," Albedo stated, flipping rapidly through his own journal's pages. "So for now, try using this as a reference. Recreate it the best you can, and I'll evaluate it afterwards."</p><p>Albedo held the journal out to Alphonse, who took it almost reverently with one hand as he observed the beautiful flower on the page. The gentle curve of its stem and wave of its petals among the roughly etched wildgrass gave it the illusion of motion, a solitary cecilia swayed by the gentle caress of wind.</p><p>"This is beautiful…" Alphonse breathed. "It looks so… alive."</p><p>Albedo returned Al's wonder with one of his rare smiles that seemed reserved for only the warmest of moments (or Nina), and Al felt a corner of his heart melt for the cold young man in front of him, who was so clinical yet kind, so indifferent and yet so warm.</p><p>"They are pretty, aren't they?" Albedo's teal eyes were lost in nostalgia, seeing not a sheaf of paper with charcoal lines, but a green stem and white petals and the way the wind ruffled them. The part of his heart and soul that loved Mondstadt, its jagged cliffs and vibrant flora and wondrous views, lit up within him, carrying with it the comforting warmth of a Statue of the Seven, or the kiss of unobstructed sunlight on Starsnatch cliff.</p><p>When Albedo fell silent, Alphonse decided not to press him. Instead, with his large leather-gloved armor hands obscuring more than half the page, he did his best to clumsily outline the petals, and then the stamen and pistil that peeked above the six petals.</p><p>Of course, with his large hand and armor, which was meant more for the broad movements of battle than the fine-tuned and precise strokes of art, the drawing was far from a masterpiece. Though he had experience quickly denoting perfectly geometric shapes for the purpose of alchemy, those had always been on a larger scale and used chalk, a thicker and much more forgiving medium than pencil.</p><p>Compared to Albedo's drawing, Al's paper seemed almost like the chicken-scratch of a child, with shaky lines and a poorly contrived attempt to mimic the natural bend of the lines.</p><p>Alphonse sheepishly held out his sketch for Albedo to evaluate. Albedo's calculating gaze was unsurprisingly nerve-wracking when trained onto Alphonse's drawing, a product of his short efforts.</p><p>Just as Albedo could never tell what Alphonse was thinking, Alphonse found Albedo's teal eyes unreadable. And wasn't that odd? Alphonse couldn't help but compare Albedo to his brother. Both geniuses in their own right, yet stark opposites in personality. His own brother was larger than life, carrying with him a whirlwind of fire in his eyes and a brilliance like the sun that almost never died down. Albedo, though, was much more like… ice. Ethereally beautiful, cold to the touch, stiff and still, and yet no less home to life and warmth.</p><p>Albedo hummed. "Not bad for your first try," he said.</p><p>Alphonse beamed. "Really?"</p><p>At the excitement in the boy's voice, Albedo couldn't coldly criticize Al's drawing. "... Yes," he awkwardly settled for. "You probably don't have particularly precise motor control considering your situation…"</p><p>Alphonse's shoulder fell, disheartened.</p><p>"But it is still very well done," Albedo hurried to appease him. He inwardly cringed. There was only so much social interaction Albedo could handle for a day even in Mondstadt, and talking to people and fine-tuning what he said so that they wouldn't feel displeasure from his words was not at the fore-front of his skill set. "You should try pressing lighter on your pencil next time. First lay down the rough shapes of your subject."</p><p>Albedo withdrew his trusty charcoal stick from his pocket with an easy twirl, a flick of his wrist to test his grip. "See," he spoke as his hand flitted across the page. "The petals are essentially rounded triangles, and the stem is just like a soft parabolic curve— more curved on the end towards the petals."</p><p>Alphonse watched in wonder as, with ease, the shape of the flower manifested.</p><p>"Then the details." His grip shifted closer to the charcoal's tip, tilted ever so slightly to a sharper edge. "The best way to make the natural deviations in shapes dictated by the randomness of nature, such as the minute waves on the side of the petal, is to relax." The wrist and joints fluidly bent, accommodating the twists and turns of the lines.</p><p>"And… there," Albedo lifted his pencil to evaluate his sketch. "The lines of the underlying rough sketch can be erased afterwards, but not if one leaves too heavy an imprint in the paper for the graphite or charcoal to remain within the grooves. Try to put less pressure on the pencil next time."</p><p>Alphonse nodded.</p><p>That was probably the most Albedo had ever spoken about anything, excluding his mumblings on alchemic equations and circles— though anything he said about alchemy was usually rather cryptic and difficult to follow anyways.</p><p>Alphonse liked it. Albedo's voice had a deep and soothing timbre to it, and… it seemed like Albedo truly enjoyed art.</p><p>His teal eyes, which were always unreadable, seemed to have the slightest bit of something resembling a smile when he explained how to draw.</p><p>"Thanks, Albedo," Alphonse said.</p><p>"Hm?" Albedo was taken by surprise. "... of course."</p><hr/><p>Alphonse couldn't stop thinking about the sketch of that lone flower in the grass, even as Albedo rested alongside the others. (It seemed even the sleepless and unflappable alchemist needed his rest.)</p><p>It seemed similar to some lilies. Was definitely a monocot based on the number of petals and sheath-like leaf along the stem. Alphonse wasn't the most knowledgeable regarding plants, but he thought it looked a bit like a white trillium. Yet still not quite.</p><p>It was beautiful. He wondered if it was Albedo's favorite flower. Albedo did seem happier when looking at it. Maybe he could find it at a flower shop in Central and gift some to Albedo as thanks for teaching him how to draw.</p><hr/><p>As the train approached Central, the trees started thinning, and the grass hills and forests became cobblestone roads and brick buildings.</p><p>Nina leaned up against the window, tail wagging excitedly. "Are we almost there?"</p><p>Albedo nodded. "Be patient, Nina. We'll be there soon."</p><p>Nina giggled. "I know, I know!" This would be her first time in Central, and as much as she tried to contain it so she wouldn't bother Albedo or Ed or Al, but Albedo didn't seem angry with her at all, and it would be her first time in Central!</p><p>She looked back at Albedo. He was doing that frowny-thing he sometimes did where he would be smiling but his eyebrows tilted down ever so slightly, like he was worried. She knew that look all too well.</p><p>"Brother Albedo? Is everything alright?"</p><p>Albedo didn't seem to have noticed that he was making such an expression. Nina held back another giggle as his face immediately smoothed out again into a straight and almost princely look of indifference. She knew that he did that a lot, snuck these sorts of expressions in when he thought no one was watching. She wondered how he'd learned to hide his face like that so well.</p><p>In any case, Albedo smiled disarmingly. "Nothing much, Nina," he reassured. "Just… be careful when you speak while we're in Central, okay?"</p><p>Nina nodded, as she always did, but frowned. <em>Be careful </em>always meant not to do something, from her experience. "Does that mean I shouldn't talk?"</p><p>If Albedo asked it of her, she'd probably listen without a second thought. Albedo was a really smart person, and he'd already done so much for her. She could keep quiet while they were in public easily.</p><p>But Albedo was quick to wave away that suggestion with a flick of his hand, a slight pull downwards on the corners of his lips, as if to swat the thought of her silence away like one would a fly. "No, of course not," he hurried to say. "Do what makes you most comfortable. Just ignore those who seem scared or tell you to stop. Your voice is beautiful."</p><p>Nina grinned the best she could with her unfamiliar mouth. "Mhm!"</p><p>She couldn't help but notice the sad way the brothers looked at her, for some reason.</p><hr/><p>Nina understood what Albedo meant now.</p><p>She had been telling Albedo and the brothers about her favorite things to do on snowy days. It was easy to talk to them, with the voice she had. She really couldn't stop speaking sometimes, because if she could ignore the way that her too-long nose or snout peeked into the bottom of her field of vision, she could pretend she was normal again.</p><p>But she stepped off the train, and immediately fell silent.</p><p>It was too late. The words that had left her mouth had already been heard, and the tens, hundreds, thousands of people surrounding the train, waiting to board or waiting for someone to leave or getting off, seemed to turn their gazes to her.</p><p>With fear. So much fear. Disgust. And they were large, too large, like she couldn't see past their noses but knew that if she could have seen their eyes she would have felt <em>terrible</em>. She was now a freak of nature, unnatural, not a part of the world that everyone else was in. Because why else would they be looking at her like that?</p><p>She already felt terrible. Her heart trembled, and a tiny pressure in her chest pulled it down, down, down. Her throat felt caught, unable to move, like a snagged thread on a sweater that was out of place.</p><p>She froze.</p><p>She felt a weight on her back. Light, but still heavy enough that she knew it was there.</p><p>"Sorry, Edward, Alphonse. We'll be waiting for you outside the station," Albedo spoke. Was his voice always that close to her ear? No. Albedo was crouched in front of her, but without his signature white coat. <em>Oh</em>, she realized. <em>He lent me his coat</em>.</p><p>There was a hand on her back, ushering her forward with a gentle push. She lifted the back legs that felt to her like bags of bricks, and, guided by the hand, protected by the coat, walked.</p><p>Under the black hood of his coat that had flopped over Nina's head, she could barely make out the shuffling feet that moved out of the way for her. Albedo's black boots to the left. A hand still pressed to her back, grounding her.</p><p>The sound and chatter died down, the pairs of shoes lessened, and finally, under the hood, she could see the light of day. Were they outside the station? Then the light was gone again, and the sound was more and more distant, and finally, the hand on her back stopped guiding her, and she sat.</p><p>"Nina," Albedo's voice cut through the quiet. With one hand, he lifted the hood of the coat he had lent her. Her bowed head looked up at the hood's removal, straight into Albedo's concerned eyes.</p><p>"Are you okay?"</p><p>She didn't want to trouble him. She could just say yes and they could join up with the Elric brothers again and things would be back to normal as soon as they could get somewhere where it was just the four of them again.</p><p>She shook her head.</p><p>She didn't feel okay.</p><p>"Hey, it's alright," Albedo's gentle voice soothed her, smoothing her frazzled nerves. "It's okay," he repeated. "It's okay. You don't have to be okay."</p><p>Nina hiccuped. She could feel the wetness in her eyes again, the same kind that she had felt in Resembool before Albedo had fixed her voice. What could she be sad over? Albedo had fixed her voice. That should have been more than enough for her to feel happy, and yet she didn't.</p><p>"Would you…" Albedo looked sheepish as he swallowed once and continued. "Would you like a hug?"</p><p>Nina sniffled. A hug. A warm hug. That sounded nice. She nodded.</p><p>And in the warm embrace of Albedo, she could hear it, the soft beating of his chest and life within him. She could feel the oxymoronic cold warmth that she'd come to associate with Albedo's smiles and teal eyes and general demeanor. Her breaths came out as entire body-wracking sobs, but they slowed, slowed and eventually turned into something resembling breaths as Albedo rubbed her back repeatedly.</p><p>"You know," Albedo spoke. "A lot of people used to look at me oddly when I went to the city."</p><p>Nina sniffled.</p><p>"I came at a time when everyone there knew each other, and travelers were few and far between. Nobody knew who I was and why I was there, so they all looked at me like I shouldn't be there."</p><p>How could he put it into words? How could he explain the invisible barrier between him and those who could involuntarily pull up the corners of their lips and let out sunny cries of laughter and pour salty tears out of their eyes over anything from spilt milk to the greatest losses? How could he say in any way that the way he was an outsider, to the very core of his being, could match dear Nina's grief?</p><p>Nina could feel Albedo sigh. An intake of breath, and then a deep exhale, sinking into the embrace.</p><p>"I know… I can't compare it to what you must be feeling right now," he said, pulling away from the hug. He looked her straight in the eyes. "But Alice and Klee… and everyone else accepted me as their family, even though I only knew them for a week."</p><p>Nina looked back at his earnest, teal, unblinking eyes.</p><p>"And… the looks became a bit more bearable after that. Because I knew that in the eyes of those I cared about, I was simply Albedo." Every word seemed to be pausing, hesitant, and unsure. "So… know that I love you for who you are, Nina."</p><p>She nodded. She believed Albedo. Her big brother had not lied to her yet, and she knew, even in his hesitant words, that his eyes weren't lying.</p><p>"I promise you I'll restore you, Nina. I promise."</p><p>He stood. "Shall we… meet up with the Elrics then?"</p><p>Nina nodded. A residual sniffle shook her frame, but she stood. "Yeah."</p><hr/><p>Albedo could have sighed in relief.</p><p>Hypothesis proven successful— an embrace and a recounting of one's own experiences are effective in calming a child.</p><p>He didn't know what he was thinking, trying to calm her down. He was not an adequate person for the job. He did not know what she was thinking. He could only think logically and rationally about what was bothering her and try to solve it, but to "solve" the hundreds of people at the station who looked at her the way they did was simply impossible.</p><p>He felt another pang of icy rage at them. He could understand that a speaking chimera was marvel-worthy— surely, if he hadn't known Nina before he himself would have been curious. Thus, judging the people at the station would only be hypocritical of him, and he strived to not have unreasonable double-standards dictating his actions.</p><p>But Nina was Nina, and this meant that he was already emotionally invested in her physical and mental wellbeing, and surely some double standards could be allowed for the sake of family.</p><p>Family, huh.</p><p>(Albedo remembered. The cold gaze of Rhinedottir. Her face, opposite of the campfire, perusing the results of their journey for the day with a cold calculating gaze. An indifferent <em>well done</em> in passing before they both rested for the night, two words that meant everything to Albedo.</p><p>Albedo remembered. The knowledge that weighed in his chest when he'd seen life emerge from a culture tank for the first time— life that was not his own, and yet reflected him so much— a stone monster that had been infused with the Geo energy of Liyue's earth. The knowledge that the source of his life was not natural, that <em>he </em>was not natural, and the chilling sleepless night that followed.</p><p>Albedo remembered Rhinedottir's cold look when he spoke and asked and how she turned away, wordlessly. <em>I'll leave if you ask this ever again. Understood?</em>)</p><hr/><p>When they finally saw the Elrics again, their large suit of armor and iconic red coat standing out like a bright poppy in an ashen field of cobblestone, they saw two others. Albedo recognized the neatly-pressed blue uniforms of the Amestrian military— he had seen far too many during his stay in East City not to.</p><p>Ed grumbled under his breath, eyebrows furrowed. "Guards. Guards! I don't need guards," he indignantly sputtered.</p><p>"Better safe than sorry," Alphonse placated, sounding rather resigned to Ed's sour mood. "Ah! Albedo and Nina."</p><p>Ed looked up, and upon seeing the pair, ran forward. "Albedo! Is Nina alright?" he knelt before Nina to give her a reassuring pat on her head, which was once again under the black hood of Albedo's pristine white coat— though the bottom edges seemed dirtied already with dirt, having been dragged on the ground. The coat was comically large on the chimera, and draped over her shoulders almost like a cloak.</p><p>Albedo nodded. "She will be fine. But it would be best not to let her around large crowds for a bit." He tried giving his best semblance of a reassuring look. He couldn't be certain if he'd succeeded without having a mirror to check, but judging by the way Edward let out a sigh of relief, he believed it had been effective.</p><p>"Excuse me, sirs," one of the officers, a short-haired woman cut in. "We have a car prepared to take you and the Elric brothers to Central Command so you can get situated at the barracks."</p><p>Albedo allowed himself to fall into the familiar formality of professionalism. "Understood. Please, lead the way."</p><p>Ed's sour mood returned in spades. "You're <em>okay</em> with this? I don't think we need guards."</p><p>"Well," Albedo hummed, "to begin with, Scar's disappearance meant you were supposed to have a guard with you. My own combat ability is halved since my sword is out of commission. Rationally speaking, having additional guards is safest. It also helps to have escorts in a city I am unfamiliar with."</p><p>Ed huffed. "Trust <em>you</em> to be like this." He sighed. "Fine. Lead the way," he waved a hand dismissively towards the two bodyguards.</p><p>Albedo was sure Ed's disrespect had disgruntled the two officers. They struggled to hold back indignant expressions towards the boy's nonchalance. He wondered if perhaps he should apologize on Edward's behalf.</p><p>No, he didn't think he would.</p><hr/><p>Albedo learned on the car ride that Second Lieutenant Maria Ross and Sergeant Denny Brosh were there to escort him and the brothers during their stay in Central City. It was, as he thought, due to the threat of Scar, who had disappeared since that incident in East City.</p><p>They hadn't stepped a single foot into the Central Command building before they were suddenly accosted by a too-smiley man.</p><p>"Ah! The Elric brothers! Were you going to head for the barracks? Didn't I tell you that you were more than welcome to stay at my place whenever you're in Central? Come to my house! Elicia really wants to see you again! And Gracia will be so happy to make food for you! Have you seen Elicia?" he pulled out a long strip of photos, which unfolded like an accordian to stretch from his hand all the way to the ground.</p><p>The Elrics couldn't get a word in edgewise.</p><p>Albedo thought this man was awfully reminiscent of the big burly Cyrus, who went on and on and on about adventuring. Which was why he'd already had his branch out, twiddling it between his fingers. It was probably not a good idea to so passively fidget with alchemy in public as he had before; it was much more of a spectacle in Amestris than it was in Teyvat.</p><p>"Oh, and you're the new alchemist! Chalkdust, right?"</p><p>Albedo was wholly unprepared for the man's attention to veer so quickly to him, and looked owlishly at the man's extended hand for a moment. Ah. A handshake. He pocketed the small branch and firmly shook it, as Grandmaster Varka had once told him was socially acceptable.</p><p>"Right. Albedo Kreideprinz. Pleasure to meet you. And…"</p><p>To his right, Nina was hunched over, imperceptibly shaking, half-hiding behind his legs. She was still scared…</p><p>"This is Nina."</p><p>The man's smile turned into something somber, and Albedo wondered how many people knew about what had happened to Nina. Granted, Albedo hadn't been trying to keep her a secret— it would be a discredit to her if he were to treat her as anything other than human.</p><p>The man crouched to take a closer look.</p><p>Albedo tensed. He cautiously let the barest wisps of alchemical energy gather in his hand, prepared to defend Nina should anything go awry.</p><p>"Nice to see you again, Nina," the man smiled disarmingly, before standing up once more.</p><p>Again? So he had met Nina before?</p><p>Albedo must have externalized his surprise, as Ed explained. "Oh yeah. You were unconscious, weren't you? Colonel Hughes was in the area when… <em>that</em> happened."</p><p>The man grinned. "Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes." The introduction's formality and seriousness immediately launched straight back into "look at Elicia! She's turning three soon, did you know? Did you know?"</p><p>Hughes's smile had to be the gushiest, most affectionate look Albedo had ever witnessed. The corners of his mouth stretched almost past the limits of their muscles. His eyes, with little crow's feet at their edges, grinned brightly and effortlessly.</p><p>Albedo let the tension that grabbed hold of his shoulders and halted his breath dissipate like dust particles scattering.</p><p>Larger than life. In his five seconds of knowing him, Albedo concluded that he'd never come across someone who loved their family as wholeheartedly and devotedly as Hughes— at least, the probability of such was near nil.</p><p>"Anyways," Hughes finally folded up the photos and tucked them with a loving pat into his breast pocket, "If you're going to be in Central for a while, you might as well stay at my place! We've got plenty of room."</p><p>"I wouldn't want to impose, sir," Albedo faltered. He had originally come to Central for a purpose, anyways, and the sooner that purpose was fulfilled, the better.</p><p>"Nonsense!"</p><p>Before Albedo knew what was happening, he was grabbed by the hood and almost dragged out of Central Command, Nina on his feet and the brothers smiling sadistically at him.</p><p>"At least come over for the day, and you can come back to the barracks later if you want!"</p><p>Albedo reasonably judged from Ed and Al's resigned expressions that he, in fact, would not be returning to Central's barracks that night.</p><p>Sergeant Brosh and Lieutenant Ross looked ambivalently at each other.</p><p>"Should we… follow?"</p><hr/><p>The home was warm. Not large, by any means, a two story apartment on a crowded street some twenty minutes away from Central Command. The chestnut-colored wood furniture was balanced by tasteful dashes of muted colors here and there, making for a very disarming and welcoming atmosphere.</p><p>"Come in, come in!" Hughes grinned, ushering them from the doorstep.</p><p>"Oh! We have guests," someone inside noted.</p><p>Hughes beamed. "Meet me dear wife, the most beautiful woman in Amestris, Gracia!" He gushed.</p><p>Ah. Albedo made a mental note. <em>This</em> was a lovestruck voice. "Pardon the intrusion," he spoke almost sheepishly, stepping into the home.</p><p>"Nonsense!" Gracia chuckled kindly. "I'll go boil some tea."</p><p>As the boys' bodyguards stood outside the door, the others got situated in the living room.</p><p>Where Albedo felt out of place being in someone else's home, the Elric brothers were the opposite. They lounged cozily— but still respectfully— on the couch, looking glad, even nostalgic to be here. If they noticed Albedo's discomfort, they showed no signs of it.</p><p>They'd been here before, for sure. If they could relax, then Albedo surely could as well. Eventually.</p><p>He was never in his element with other people, he reflected, still rigidly seated at the edge of the sofa.</p><p>"Anyways," Hughes took a seat, "I didn't just call you here to see Elicia."</p><p>Ed half-inwardly scoffed. Hughes definitely <em>would</em>, whenever he could. But a modicum of alertness reached his eyes.</p><p>"A message from Mustang," Hughes said. "There's been rumors of miraculous healing in a small town in the East. "</p><p>Al gasped, and Ed leaned forward in his seat. "Another lead, then."</p><p>Hughes nodded. "It's a small one… but it's better than nothing.</p><p>The Philosopher's stone. The catalyst Albedo needed to restore Nina. Albedo may not have shown his interest as obviously as the brothers, but his ears were piqued.</p><p>"This had better not be another Liore," Ed growled. "Last time he sent me on a lead, we ended up involved with a cult," he grumbled towards Albedo.</p><p>Ah. That must've been an ordeal. Albedo never did understand faith and belief, even in Teyvat, where gods' existences were confirmed and he had met the archon Barbatos himself.</p><p>Hughes barked out something resembling a laugh. "Well, it shouldn't be. The town's pretty quiet from what we can tell."</p><p>"That's great!" Al chimed. "We should leave as soon as possible then. Do you think we could get a train there today?"</p><p>Ed unfolded a map from his pocket. "Which town?"</p><p>Once they'd gotten it mapped, Ed stood with renewed fervor. "Should we go then, Al?"</p><p>"Ah," Al stammered. "Albedo, are you coming with us?"</p><p>Ed almost forgot about Albedo, to be honest. For the longest time, it had always been just him and Al searching for the stone on their own. Their sins, their atonement, their promise to each other. <em>His</em> promise to <em>Al</em>.</p><p>He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He had forgotten that he wasn't the only one searching now, that others needed the stone just as he and Al did. "Right. Albedo?"</p><p>Albedo silently apologized to Nina. She'd probably be sad to see the brothers go.</p><p>"Sorry, Edward, Alphonse. I'll decline this time."</p><p>Alphonse seemed surprised. "Eh?"</p><p>"To begin with, I came to Central to find a swordsmith. Without a sword, I cannot effectively protect myself nor Nina," he reasoned. "It is within the confines of alchemy to create a sword, but not one crafted with mastery and an understanding of the blade, unless one is well-practiced in the art."</p><p>Ed nodded. "We get it," he smiled. "I promise we'll call immediately if we find anything. I guess we're parting ways for now?"</p><p>"... Yes," Albedo hummed.</p><p>"We'll meet again soon, right?" Al looked at Albedo. There was a disappointed waver in the red eyes' glow.</p><p>A "goodbye" lodged itself in Albedo's throat, from the pit of his heart. It would surely only be a short time apart, yet Alphonse looked at him the way Klee would when Albedo announced a trip to Dragonspine for a month or a conference in Liyue.</p><p>It didn't have the chance to leave his mouth before both the brothers were outside, discussing plans with the bewildered bodyguards.</p><p>It was goodbye for now to the Elric brothers, but certainly not for long. Of this, Albedo was absolutely certain. He'd join them once more when he had a suitable weapon to defend himself, Nina, <em>and</em> the brothers with.</p><p>"Anyways, it's impressive," Hughes leaned back in his chair. "Few people outside of the Fuhrer fight with swords nowadays."</p><p>"I was trained with it," Albedo responded truthfully. Rhinedottir's tasks had inspired a healthy-enough instinct for survival and self-defense in his youth, and combat skills were a prerequisite for joining the Knights of Favonius, no matter how prodigious an alchemist he was. For a while after he'd joined, Acting Grandmaster Jean and Cavalry Captain Kaeya would ensure he knew how to fight. But back to the matter at hand. "Would you happen to know any swordsmiths in Central?"</p><p>Hughes propped a thoughtful hand on his chin. Of course he did. He had to get his throwing knives from somewhere.</p><p>Whether or not he'd tell Albedo where it was? A different question altogether.</p><p>He looked at the teal-eyed young man on the opposite couch, who looked stoic as stone, who held the weight of a military station and the title of State Alchemist on his too-stiff shoulders, the <em>boy</em> who couldn't possibly be much older than the Elrics.</p><p>Something about him was different from the Elrics. Where the Elrics were truly children— they might have said they hadn't been children for a long time, but they <em>were</em>, whether they thought so or not— Albedo Kreideprinz held himself with the utmost formality, eyes blank and too-adult, face stuck almost constantly in an expressionless veneer.</p><p>The boy, like the Elrics, grew up too quickly. Hughes could tell. Just like Mustang, who had been the youngest State Alchemist in history before the Elrics came along. Just like Edward, who seemed to carry guilt heavy enough that it might as well have been the weight of the world on his shoulders. Just like Alphonse, who couldn't touch or taste or smell anything. But different, because where all three were undeniably expressive, alive, <em>human</em>, Albedo was stagnant. Like a sculpture, in a cold stasis of adulthood and formality.</p><p>So did he want to give the boy a sword? No, he wasn't keen on it.</p><p>But Albedo was trained, and Hughes couldn't begrudge him of his self-protection, and if there was anything Hughes knew about alchemists, it was their stubborn bordering-on-stupid tenacity. If he didn't show Albedo, Albedo would certainly find a swordsmith himself.</p><p>So Hughes nodded. "There's a good one on the edge of Central's fourth and fifth districts, you can commission a sword from there."</p><p>With a quick "thank you" and a fleeting glance to Nina, who was enraptured by her conversation with Gracia's, Albedo stood, wasting no time.</p><p>"Wait, I can lead you there!" Hughes quickly added. "The guy doesn't usually take commissions since he's pretty busy. It'll help if I'm there."</p><p>Albedo barely sent him a look as he walked. "Much appreciated, Colonel Hughes. Would it be alright if Nina comes with us?"</p><p>Hughes grinned. Albedo with a purpose was very single-minded, like an arrow that couldn't be swayed by any gust. "No problem at all."</p><hr/><p>The metal shop was a dingy place filled to the brim with noise, be it the crackling pyres, the hissing red-hot metals, or the cantankerous clanking and banging of metal against metal, one shaping and molding the other. Albedo was quick to leave as soon as his commission had been placed, not keen on exposing his eardrums to the extended uproar.</p><p>Hughes laughed at the bare and soon-scarce scowl on Albedo's face when he exited.</p><p>"Not a fan of noise?"</p><p>Albedo crossed his arms. "Not in particular." Oh, he was <em>well</em> accustomed to the racket that Klee always stirred in her workshops and that Sucrose accidentally produced in failed forays into unknown compounds. Did that mean he enjoyed it? No.</p><p>The sword would take a week to complete since the shop was moderately busy at the moment, so Albedo was stuck in Central for a week, he supposed.</p><p>"So where to next? Anything else you needed to do in Central?" Hughes grinned.</p><p>Albedo thought for a moment, but really, the answer was obvious.</p><p>"Is there a library?"</p><hr/><p>Ed grumbled. "Why did <em>you</em> have to come along? We're not in Central."</p><p>Maria Ross sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time. "I've been assigned to you. I've been relieved of my other duties to protect you, so I might as well."</p><p>He gave her the stinkiest side-eye he could manage. "Might as well…? You might as well just take the time off."</p><p>She absolutely could have. She definitely should have, if this was how the eldest Elric brother was going to be. That said, "I was entrusted this role by Major Armstrong and have no intention of abandoning it."</p><p>Edward choked. "Major A-Armstrong? <em>He </em>sent you?"</p><p>He settled back into his seat with a sulk bordering on a childish pout, and Maria wondered why she hadn't considered mentioning this before. If the major was all that was needed to shut Edward up, she should've done so far sooner.</p><hr/><p>It would be remiss of Denny Brosh to describe Albedo's eyes upon entering the library as anything other than <em>sparkling</em>.</p><p>There was only a short moment of it before the alchemist had strode forward purposefully, straight to the alchemy section of the shelves, situating himself right beside the rows of books, already beginning. But it had been there.</p><p>Brosh had honestly thought Albedo was a bit inhuman. Not in a philosophical sense, but in the sense that he was so robotically perfect, precise in his every movement, stoic like ice or stone. Walking through the streets of Central, which would have been relaxing for anyone else, seemed only to pull this curtain of tension and formality and ice-cold meticulousness tighter around the boy.</p><p>Boy, because Brosh couldn't imagine anyone looking as young as Albedo did being an adult, because Albedo could hardly be any older than Edward Elric, who was most definitely too young for what he did. Yet not a boy, because the way Albedo held himself was <em>distinctly</em> adult, not like a child playing an adult. His even speaking tone and piercing gaze gave him the same authority as any adult around him.</p><p>So when Albedo walked into the library and saw rows upon rows of towering shelves packed to the <em>brim</em> with books, sheets of paper bound together, he wondered what Albedo saw to make his lips part, to make his eyes widen ever so slightly, to make those almost empty teal irises focus, and suddenly gain the depth of oceans of desire.</p><p>"Probably knowledge," Nina spoke from beside Brosh, and Brosh <em>jumped</em>.</p><p>Nina giggled. "Sorry! Did I scare you?"</p><p>Yes, she <em>had</em>, because never in his <em>life </em>did he imagine he'd be talking to a girl-dog chimera. He felt bad for the girl and what had happened to her, but he wasn't used to it. Time would tell if he ever would be. "I should be the one saying sorry!" Brosh sheepishly held two hands up.</p><p>"Alchemists are all like that," Nina looked at Albedo. In her beady white eyes, which Brosh thought were too empty, there was a watchful, sad gaze trained on her guardian. "Always reading. They're always after the "pursuit of knowledge," whatever that means."</p><p>Because she had grown up with an alchemist, she <em>knew </em>how they would stay up late into the wee hours of the night, with an almost crazed look in their eyes, searching for what they could not see and did not know how to obtain. When the other alchemists, her (now) big brothers had come, she'd thought she'd get someone to play with. They'd granted that for her.</p><p>But there would always be a distance between the alchemists and herself. A gap of knowledge, a wall of purpose and ambition. Always with their nose stuck in their books. Nina loved them, but there would always be books, alchemy, science, and whatever the "pursuit of knowledge" meant coming before her.</p><p>Albedo spared a short glance back to the bodyguard and girl still standing at the end of the shelf. "Sorry, Nina. If you're bored, Brosh could probably play with you outside."</p><p>"I could?"</p><p>Albedo completely unapologetically turned back to his book pile, which had already risen to a foot tall in the span of these few minutes.</p><p>Nina's tail wagged with restrained excitement. "Then let's go, let's go!"</p><hr/><p>The train ride to the small town in the East hadn't taken long. To the Elric brothers at least, a five hour ride had been nothing. Ed had slept the whole way through, and Al had taken to trying his best to press charcoal to a paper despite the jostling train.</p><p>When they'd arrived, it was already nighttime. The Elric brothers wasted no time finding an inn to stay in before asking the sparse people around the crossing whether they'd heard of miraculous healings in the area.</p><p>There was, unfortunately, no new information when the night ended and Ed trudged back up to his room. They'd try again tomorrow.</p><hr/><p>Albedo learned, to his <em>great</em> misfortune and displeasure, that the library actually closed at night.</p><p>This was, of course, to be expected. Even Lisa, who was lenient about allowing Albedo into the library whenever he wanted so he could fulfill his duties as Chief Alchemist, would keep strict visiting hours for the library for anyone else.</p><p>That said, Albedo was used to being the Chief Alchemist. He was accustomed to spending nights in the library poring over thick tomes of text, with only a warning from Lisa that 'sleep was healthy for a growing boy.'</p><p>As if he'd grow. But he digressed. Albedo frowned at the librarian next to him.</p><p>"Sir, it really is past the library's closing time. If you do not leave, I <em>will</em> call the authorities.</p><p>Albedo frowned more. "May I check out some of these books, then?"</p><p>"Well," the librarian cocked their head, "some documents aren't allowed to be brought outside, but I'll see what I can do. Which books?"</p><p>Albedo pointed to the several stacks of books piled like a wall surrounding him. "These, please."</p><p>The librarian gawked incredulously. "No. Pick ten at most."</p><p>Outside the library, Brosh and Nina looked at Albedo, who was carrying a stack of 12 thick tomes, nose barely peeking over the stack in his hands. "Do you… need some help?"</p><p>"I'll be fine," Albedo kept walking.</p><p>"Hah…" Alright then.</p><hr/><p>"Still nothing…" Edward growled under his breath.</p><p>He and Al had spent the better part of the entire day asking around town about miraculous acts of healing, and then subsequently being looked at like they'd sprouted a second head.</p><p>Then again, he was asking about something rather farfetched. With no context. Ahhh, of course they would look at him weirdly and then avoid him.</p><p>Edward sighed.</p><p>Al meanwhile stopped another passerby, and spoke with that disarming voice of his. Better Al than Ed, he supposed; Al was always the easier brother to talk to.</p><p>"I'm sorry sir, but would you happen to know of any doctors in the area, or any miraculous acts of healing?"</p><p>The man shook his head so fiercely Ed thought it would fall off. Ed scoffed. The man was probably scared of Al, to Ed's great displeasure. Unfortunately, Al had already scolded him about scaring away people who were scared of Al. (<em>Brother! You know scaring them when they're already scared isn't going to help!</em>)</p><p>"Ah, but," the man stammered, "i-if you're looking for a doctor, you should probably go to Dr. Mauro! He helps anyone free of charge, and he's the best doctor this town has ever seen!"</p><p>"Thank you!" Al's smiling voice responded. The man was quick to rush away from them.</p><p>"Dr. Mauro, huh?" Ed sighed.</p><p>Al shrugged, his armor clattering with the motion. "We've heard the name a few times already. Should we?"</p><p>"Yeah," Ed scowled. "It's not like we have any other leads. Let's go."</p><p>Behind them, Lieutenant Ross followed silently. The brothers certainly had a… unique way of doing things.</p><hr/><p><em>Theories Regarding the Sources of Alchemical Energy</em> was a long read, written with rather dull and mundane language, in Albedo's opinion. He would have much preferred reading <em>Alchemical Runes and Symbols, 7th Edition</em>. Not that he needed runes to perform alchemy, but discovering the symbols' associations to different elements and materials and then envisioning how to balance them seamlessly in a circle while reading was a fun artistic exercise, one he much preferred to these frankly ridiculous theories on the origins of alchemy.</p><p>He was abruptly yanked to one side of his chair, practically falling out of his seat, stopped only by the wooden armrest to his side. Nina giggled as she used her large paws to shake Albedo's arm. "Brother, brother! Come play with us!"</p><p>Albedo had a denial on his tongue, an eye already back to his bookmarked page. It was like Klee in his lab again. He could never say no to those bright red-orange eyes of hers, and had taken to posting signs outside his door so she wouldn't distract him from his work. He <em>had</em> eventually, with great difficulty, learned to say no to that pleading gaze of hers.</p><p>"Sorry, Nina, I'm—"</p><p>But then he felt two small holds on his other hand, looked the other direction, and saw the curious emerald eyes of Elicia Hughes, and his denial crumbled.</p><p>Ah. How could <em>this</em> be his folly? He sighed and stood from his chair. "Alright, fine. But only for half an hour."</p><p>Nina grinned, and Elicia laughed sunnily. "Yay!"</p><p>Maes and Gracia watched as Albedo effortlessly hoisted Elicia into a piggyback ride.</p><p>"He's really good with them, isn't he?" Gracia smiled, and as usual, to Maes, it was the most gorgeous sight in the world.</p><p>He nodded. "He'd make a great older brother."</p><p>Gracia chuckled. "You know you can't adopt every teenage alchemist you find."</p><p>"Watch me!" Maes grinned with joking bravado. But his face soon fell into something more somber, a humorless smile that could only be described as bitter. "They're… they're too young."</p><p>Gracia nodded silently. She had never asked Maes to tell her about his experiences; she'd been there for every shivering and cold-sweat-filled nightmare, hugged him through his shaking sobs and tears, loved him through all the guilt he blanketed himself with. "They are."</p><p>Watching Albedo handle any and every affair gave Maes a feeling. A deep-seated dread, like a hole in his chest. A pressure in his chest, a too-heavy heart. Albedo acted in every way, shape, and form, more like an adult than most adults Maes knew.</p><p>Watching Albedo now, though, with a soft curve on his lips and a smile in his eyes, patting Nina's head with one hand and carrying Elicia with the other, Maes's heart felt more at ease.</p><p>Albedo probably didn't even realize that he was smiling like that right now, otherwise it would be gone already, replaced with the stony exterior he'd come to expect out of the boy. It made the sight feel all the lighter, all the more miraculous.</p><p>Maes wouldn't pretend to know what Albedo's past was. He knew better than anyone else that to dig these things up was not his job, nor would it help anything.</p><p>But if he could see that smile linger longer on the boy's face… he would do whatever he could.</p><hr/><p>When Ed had woken up today, he hadn't expected to have a <em>gun</em> pointed at his <em>face</em>.</p><p>Ed stumbled back, startled. His balance on the stair's steps lost, he yelped. Quickly, Al's trusty grip on his arm yanked him back. "Brother!"</p><p>Ed righted himself with a haggard sigh, glaring at the man. Dr. Mauro, was it? "What the hell was that for?!"</p><p>"I-I know you've been searching for me!" The doctor sounded more scared than Ed. Good. "What are you here for?! I won't go back to Central!"</p><p>Ed cocked his head, bewildered. "No one even said anything about Central!" Was this man deranged? "We just wanted to ask a few questions."</p><p>"Don't play dumb!" the doctor barked. "I know you're the Fullmetal Alchemist! You must be working with the military! Am I wrong?" there was an unsettling clattering sound from the gun held in his shaky hands, and Ed took an uneasy step back.</p><p>He heard a deep breath behind him, and regretted not covering his ears before Lieutenant Ross shouted. "Excuse me, sir! <em>Please, </em>for the love of God, <em>calm down!</em>" Ed quickly stepped out of the way as she stomped up the steps with the force of a fierce maelstrom.</p><p>Against her glare, Dr. Mauro stepped back, cowering and lowering his gun.</p><p>Ross huffed with a nod. "Good. Now we can have a <em>civil </em>conversation."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The long segment of Albedo teaching Al how to draw was unplanned and ended up taking more space than I thought. Sorry if there's not much in this chapter! Things will pick up a lot next chapter, I think. But thanks again for reading, and for all the kind comments! I can't believe I've gotten to 400 kudos and 4000 hits!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I’m terrible at continuing projects that I begin, so I’ll try my best to update if I have anything I think is worth updating! In any case, if you enjoyed, please leave a kudos or comment; they make my day! Thanks for reading :D</p>
<p>EDIT: ADFLKASDFJA THANKS to @ petorahs for their <a href="https://twitter.com/petorahs/status/1346167173232771072?s=21">beautiful art</a> of Ed and Albedo's interaction!!!</p>
<p>EDIT 2: hi i started a <a href="https://twitter.com/otaku_553">twitter</a> :3 come check it out if you want I do art for genshin and kirby and whatever im interested in at the moment! might also have a few tidbits of plans for this if enough people ask 👀<br/>(and if you're interested you can check out my <a href="https://otaku553.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a> since that's older and has more art)</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>